With over 45 million monthly active users, WhatsApp is now officially a “Very Large Online Platform” (VLOP) in the EU, subjecting it to stricter regulations.
WhatsApp has reached a critical threshold in Europe: Meta’s messaging app is now considered a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). This means the service will be subject to a series of more stringent regulations. Similar to those already in place for Facebook and Instagram, which are also part of the Meta ecosystem.
According to Bloomberg, WhatsApp has surpassed 45 million monthly active users, the threshold set to obtain VLOP status. In a document filed on February 14, 2025, Meta said that in the previous six months. WhatsApp Channels — the recently introduced message broadcasting feature — had an average of 46.8 million monthly active users.
What’s changing for WhatsApp users in Europe?
WhatsApp’s entry among the Very Large Online Platforms requires the platform to comply with several regulations . Which aim to improve transparency and data protection for European users. Among the new rules imposed by the DSA, WhatsApp will have to:
• Provide tools to report illegal content such as scams, hate speech or other violations of European regulations.
• Increase controls over personalized advertising, especially to avoid ads targeted to minors.
• Give users more control over their data, including the ability to opt out of tracking for recommendations and profiling.
• WhatsApp has already begun implementing these measures , updating its privacy policy on February 16, 2025 to reflect the new regulatory requirements imposed by the DSA.
Meta and the challenge of European regulation
WhatssApp now joins the list of Meta platforms already classified as VLOP, alongside Facebook and Instagram . Mark Zuckerberg’s company has repeatedly had to comply with European regulations. Facing increasingly stringent limits on how it can collect and monetize user data.
The Digital Services Act represents one of the biggest changes in the digital regulatory landscape in Europe, and it is forcing Big Tech to adopt new models of transparency. For Meta, this could mean an overhaul of how it uses user data, especially for ad targeting and the use of information shared in Channels.https://youtu.be/eHLsUtKcU6g?si=K3-ulZHSabjrqyQ7