EU classifies ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as very large online services

The European Commission has designated ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), based on their declared average monthly user numbers in the EU exceeding the 45 million-user threshold.

ChatGPT has been classified as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox have been designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). The Commission considers ChatGPT a hybrid service because, in addition to generating responses to user queries, it can search the web.

Reddit qualifies as an online platform because users can create and share content with others through topic-based communities. Roblox is similarly classified because it allows users to create, publish and access content and games produced by other users.

The designations mean that the three services will be subject to additional obligations under the DSA. By January 2027, they will need to carry out assessments of systemic risks associated with their services and algorithmic systems and take measures to mitigate those risks.

The assessments will cover areas including the spread of illegal content, potential effects on minors, users’ physical and mental wellbeing, fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security.

The designations also give the European Commission direct investigative powers over the services’ relevant systems and functionalities. Supervision will be carried out by the Commission in cooperation with national Digital Services Coordinators: Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán for ChatGPT and Reddit, and the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets for Roblox.

The three services were already subject to the DSA’s general requirements applicable to online platforms and search engines. Their new status places them under the additional rules that apply to the largest digital services operating in the EU.