Meta-Owned WhatsApp Comes Under Europe's DSA Umbrella

Core Points - WhatsApp has reached a user level that qualifies it as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA) in Europe [1][3] - The platform reported approximately 46.8 million average monthly active users in the EU, surpassing the 45 million user threshold set by the DSA [2] - Upon receiving the VLOP designation, WhatsApp has four months to comply with DSA requirements, including risk assessment related to illegal conduct and public security [3] Regulatory Implications - Companies that violate the DSA can incur fines up to 6% of their global annual revenue [4] - Meta is currently contesting an $831 million fine from the EU for allegedly using user data to gain an unfair advantage for its Facebook Marketplace service [4] - The European Commission (EC) found that Meta provided its online classified ads service an unfair edge by automatically offering access to users, regardless of their interest [5] Antitrust Concerns - The EC ruled that Meta imposed unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads services, benefiting Facebook Marketplace by using data generated from their ads [6] - This behavior has been deemed illegal under EU antitrust rules, and Meta has been instructed to cease such practices [6]