Brussels: The European Commission on Monday designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as very large digital services under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), subjecting them to additional obligations and oversight. ChatGPT was designated as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox were designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), due to their substantial user bases in the EU.
According to Anadolu Agency, the three services reported at least 45 million average monthly users each, meeting the threshold for the designations. These services have until the end of December 2026 to comply with the additional DSA obligations. These include assessing and mitigating systemic risks related to illegal content, effects on minors, users' physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public security.
The Commission stated that these designations grant it investigative powers to assess the functionalities of the services and related systems where applicable. Compliance will be supervised in collaboration with Ireland's Coimisiun na Mean for ChatGPT and Reddit, and the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets for Roblox.
Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice president for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, noted the significance of these new designations, emphasizing the heightened scrutiny and accountability expected of these platforms due to their societal impact. "We continue to monitor the digital landscape closely and will not hesitate to designate any platform meeting the threshold for enhanced supervision under the Digital Services Act," she stated.
The Commission highlighted that ChatGPT qualifies as an online search engine because it can respond to users' prompts and queries, including web searches. Reddit is recognized as a discussion-based platform for creating, sharing, and interacting with content in topic-based communities, while Roblox allows users to create, publish, and play games developed by others. Both Reddit and Roblox qualify as online platforms since they enable users to share third-party content with the public.
These services are already subject to the DSA's general obligations for online platforms and search engines. With these latest designations, the Commission has now identified 28 very large online platforms and search engines under the DSA. The responsibility for DSA supervision and enforcement is shared between the European Commission and national Digital Services Coordinators within EU member states.