WhatsApp faces tougher EU rules

The European Commission has decided that messaging service WhatsApp must comply with stricter rules in the European Union after its Channels feature reached at least 45 million users in the EU, a threshold that triggers the application of additional obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), dpa reports. The decision applies exclusively to the Channels feature, not private messaging services or calls, which remain outside the scope of the DSA. Under European law, providers of "very large online platforms” are subject to stricter requirements than smaller digital services, in particular in terms of combating illegal content, advertising transparency and preventing systemic risks. Following the European Commission's assessment, WhatsApp's Channels feature exceeded the threshold of monthly active users set by the DSA, which requires a change of status and a series of additional obligations for the Meta-owned company. WhatsApp has four months to comply with the new requirements, according to an official statement from the Commission. The Channels feature was introduced by WhatsApp to allow creators, institutions or organisations to broadcast information, updates and announcements to a large audience, without direct interaction between users. "The designation applies only to WhatsApp's Channels feature, which allows the broadcast of content to a large audience of users,” the European Commission said.

Private messages and calls, protected by end-to-end encryption, are not covered by this decision and remain excluded from the scope of the DSA.

• Increased obligations: illegal content, elections and advertising

Under the Digital Services Act, platforms classified as "very large” must: promptly remove illegal content; implement measures to prevent election manipulation and disinformation; ensure a high level of transparency regarding online advertising; assess and mitigate systemic risks generated by the operation of the platform. In the case of WhatsApp, these obligations will apply exclusively to public channels, where content can have a wide audience and a significant impact on the information space.

• Meta, already under the scrutiny of the European Commission

The decision on WhatsApp comes in the context in which Meta is already under investigation by the DSA for other of its services. The European Commission has previously opened investigations into compliance with the law by Facebook and Instagram. In October 2025, the European executive announced that Meta would be fined for the lack of data transparency and for the way it manages illegal content on its platforms. The new obligations imposed on WhatsApp indicate an expansion of European control over large digital platforms and an increasingly firm application of rules designed to limit abuses and risks in the online environment.

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