The European Commission will classify WhatsApp as a "very large online platform" and subject it to strict regulation.

The European Commission announced on the 26th that it has officially designated the communication application WhatsApp, owned by the American metaverse platform company, as a "super-large online platform" under the framework of the EU Digital Services Act. This means that the application will face stricter compliance obligations in the EU, providing a basis for the EU to strengthen its regulation in the future. The announcement stated that WhatsApp's "channels" function allows users to disseminate information, updates, and announcements to a wide audience, meeting the definition of an online platform service. At the same time, the "channels" function in the EU has reached the threshold of at least 45 million users to be classified as a "super-large online platform". According to the EU Digital Services Act, companies classified as "super-large online platforms" will be subject to strict regulation by the EU, requiring them to take on more responsibilities in dealing with illegal and harmful content on their platforms. The American metaverse platform company's Facebook and Instagram, Google's video platform YouTube, Microsoft's LinkedIn, and Amazon, the American e-commerce giant, have all been identified by the EU as "super-large online platforms". According to the announcement, after being designated as a "super-large online platform," the metaverse platform company providing WhatsApp services must ensure within 4 months that it fulfills additional obligations applicable to "super-large online platforms", including conducting a thorough assessment of the systemic risks that its services may pose and taking measures to mitigate these risks. According to the Digital Services Act, companies found in violation could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.