EU Plans Stricter Content Rules For WhatsApp

The European Union Commission on Monday added WhatsApp to its list of large digital services required to comply with stricter content rules, placing the Meta-owned messaging platform under closer scrutiny in the European Union.

The Meta-owned app joins Facebook, TikTok, X, and other major players on the list of 26 “very large online platforms” following the growth of its Channels feature, which surpassed 45 million monthly active users across the EU.

The Channels feature will now be subject to more stringent obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as it is treated as a broadcasting tool distinct from WhatsApp’s core messaging service.

“These obligations include duly assessing and mitigating any systemic risks, such as violations of fundamental human rights and freedom of expression, electoral manipulation, the dissemination of illegal content and privacy concerns,” the Commission said in a statement.

WhatsApp has until the end of May to align with the new rules, which have been criticised by the US government under Donald Trump as “censorship” and discriminatory.

According to its most recent DSA transparency report published last year, WhatsApp’s Channels already counted around 51.7 million monthly active users in the 27-nation EU.

The platform is also under scrutiny by EU regulators for its AI tools, with an antitrust investigation launched in December to assess whether Meta’s rollout of the technology violates competition rules.

Regulators in Brussels have been stepping up oversight of major global digital platforms, including many US-based services, despite strong opposition and threats of retaliation from Washington.

Last month, the EU issued its first-ever DSA fine, hitting Elon Musk’s X with a 120-million-euro ($140 million) penalty for failing to meet transparency standards. On Monday, a separate investigation was launched into X’s AI tool Grok over the creation of sexualised deepfake content.

Meta’s other platforms are already at risk of significant penalties under the DSA. In October 2025, Facebook and Instagram were accused by EU regulators of denying researchers adequate access to public data and failing to offer user-friendly ways to report illegal content or appeal moderation decisions.

Brussels is also scrutinising Facebook and Instagram over concerns that they are not doing enough to address the addictive nature of their platforms among children.

Under the related Digital Markets Act, the EU imposed a 200-million-euro fine on Meta, which the company has since appealed.