The European Commission imposes strict rules on WhatsApp under the DSA legislation. The messaging app will have to more closely monitor content shared through channels.
WhatsApp can expect stricter rules under the DSA law. Bloomberg
Meta’s messaging app is somewhat a victim of its own success. WhatsApp is by far the largest messaging app worldwide and also has millions of users in Europe. In February last year, WhatsApp announced that 46.8 million people in the EU used the Channels feature. This exceeds the threshold of 45 million users for the VLOP status.
Big VLOP
The unwanted ‘promotion’ of WhatsApp to the highest class means it will have to more strictly monitor the content users post and share on the platform. However, this does not mean that WhatsApp will suddenly have to read your messages. Interpersonal communication remains outside the scope of the DSA legislation.
The Channels feature does fall within the scope because it involves publicly available feeds, like social media. As a ‘VLOP’, WhatsApp will have to conduct risk assessments for the dissemination of illegal or harmful content through Channels and take measures to limit it. WhatsApp must also update its user numbers every six months.
No Impact on Messages
Personal messages remain unaffected for now, although the European Union would very much like to gain access through other loopholes. WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted so that only you and your contact can read the content. The controversial ‘chat control’ law aimed to force chat applications to weaken their encryption protocols, with combating child abuse as the sanctifying goal.
read also
Belgian Europol boss wants to be able to read your messages: why that’s a disaster especially for citizens
That every citizen would have to give up their privacy for this was collateral damage. The law has been (temporarily) shelved because there was insufficient support among member states for such mass surveillance.