EU labels ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as major online platforms after each reaches 45 M monthly users in the bloc, inviting greater DSA scrutiny
| Source: Techmeme | Original article
The EU has classified ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as very large online platforms after each reached 45 million monthly users in the bloc, subjecting them to heightened Digital Services Act scrutiny.
The European Commission has moved to place OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Reddit Inc. and Roblox Corp. on the Digital Services Act’s “very large online platform” (VLOP) list after each service recorded at least 45 million monthly users in the bloc. The designation, announced by the Commission and reported by Bloomberg, lifts the three platforms into the EU’s strictest tier of digital‑service regulation.
Under the VLOP status the services will be subject to a suite of new obligations. They must commission independent audits, carry out systematic risk assessments, and publish detailed transparency reports covering everything from illegal content removal to algorithmic decision‑making. The rules give the platforms a four‑month window to bring their practices into line with the DSA, a timeline that mirrors the regime already applied to giants such as Facebook and Google.
The move matters because it extends the EU’s toughest digital‑law framework to an AI chatbot and a gaming platform, sectors that have previously operated with comparatively light oversight. For OpenAI, the requirement to treat ChatGPT as a “very large online search engine” signals a shift toward treating generative AI as a public‑interest service, with implications for content moderation, data handling and user safety. Reddit and Roblox will face similar scrutiny of their community‑governance and child‑protection measures, potentially reshaping how they design moderation tools and monetize large user bases.
Watchers will be looking for the Commission’s formal designation, expected as early as August, and for the platforms’ compliance roadmaps. Legal challenges are likely, as are calls from industry groups for clearer guidance on AI‑specific risk metrics. The rollout will also serve as a bellwether for whether other AI‑driven services will soon be pulled into the EU’s VLOP regime.
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