EU Tightens Grip: WhatsApp Faces Major Reclassification Over Harmful Content Responsibility
Brussels draws a hard line. The European Commission is moving to reclassify WhatsApp, forcing the messaging giant to shoulder direct responsibility for policing harmful content on its platform. This isn't a suggestion—it's a regulatory hammer aimed at one of the world's largest encrypted networks.
The New Rulebook
Forget the old guidelines. The proposed shift would catapult WhatsApp into a stricter category of digital services under the Digital Services Act (DSA). That means mandatory, proactive scanning and removal of illegal material, transparent reporting, and hefty fines for non-compliance. End-to-end encryption? It just became the company's biggest compliance headache.
Platforms on Notice
The move signals a broader crackdown. Regulators are done with self-policing promises. By targeting a flagship encrypted service, the EU is testing the limits of its own digital sovereignty playbook. Every major platform is watching—this sets a precedent for how far liability can extend into private digital spaces.
A Costly Shield
WhatsApp now faces a brutal trade-off: break its encryption promise to billions of users or design a mythical, privacy-compliant content filter. Either path burns cash and trust. Meanwhile, in finance, traditional banks are probably cheering—nothing makes their outdated compliance departments look agile like watching tech giants get tangled in regulatory barbed wire.
The era of hands-off, 'we're just a pipe' for big tech is over in Europe. WhatsApp's scramble to adapt will be a masterclass in real-time regulatory navigation—or a very public, very expensive failure.
WhatsApp revealed large user numbers for the EU region
The Commission’s spokesperson told Reuters that the bloc was actively designating WhatsApp a “very large platform,” which will therefore increase its legal responsibilities to tackle damaging content.
This is after the messaging service, owned by Meta Platforms published active user numbers above the Digital Services Act (DSA) threshold in February last year.
Under the DSA, very large online platforms (VLOPs) are required to reinforce consumer protection and some fundamental rights. They are also obliged to ensure they prevent the spread of illegal content and boost transparency on algorithms and content moderation.
According to figures it published last year in its transparency report, WhatsApp said that it had reached 46.8 million monthly users on average in the EU alone. This is above the 45 million active users to be considered a VLOP under the DSA.
A Euronews report indicated that from the moment of designation, the platform had four months to comply with the rules. Though a formal date for when this was to happen had not been set, the Commission’s spokesperson on Friday showed the EU’s intentions.
“I wouldn’t exclude a future designation.”
Thomas Regnier, Commission spokesperson.
Facebook and Instagram, which are also Meta’s social media platforms, are already part of the list of VLOPs. This means they are subject to the Commission’s investigations regarding possible breaches of the bloc’s DSA.
Meta and its social media platforms have been under the scrutiny of the bloc’s regulators for various reasons. Late last year, the EU regulators intensified investigations of Meta’s use of AI in WhatsApp, focusing mainly on the “Meta AI” system, which was launched in March as previously reported by Cryptopolitan.
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