The European Commission (EC) has designated WhatsApp a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP), subjecting it to more stringent requirements under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). WhatsApp’s designation is the latest EC move to complicate operating in the European market as a US tech company.
While European lawmakers have repeatedly said they want to work alongside tech firms to create an internet that reflects European values, they more often seem to be on a collision course with US corporations. WhatsApp’s designation, and the headache it will cause Meta, underscore a bigger question: whether Europe wants what US tech companies have to offer at all. As I outline here, the regulatory tightrope and the enforcement environment suggest not.
