ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox designated VLOSEs

The European Commission has formally designated OpenAI's ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This action follows the services' own declarations that they each reach at least 45 million average monthly active users within the European Union, meeting the legal threshold for designation.

According to the Commission's announcement, the designated services now have a four-month compliance window. They must align with the stricter DSA obligations for VLOPs and VLOSEs by January 2027. These rules mandate a proactive approach to managing the societal impacts of large-scale digital platforms.

New Obligations for Algorithmic Systems

The core new requirements focus on the governance of the services' underlying systems. Companies must conduct comprehensive risk assessments. They are then obligated to implement measures to mitigate those identified systemic risks.

The risks specifically tied to their algorithmic systems are broad in scope. The DSA framework requires scrutiny of potential harms related to the spread of illegal content. Negative effects on the physical and mental well-being of minors and other users must also be evaluated.

Further, the assessments must consider impacts on fundamental rights, electoral processes, and overall public security. This places a significant burden on the internal governance and transparency of the AI models and recommendation algorithms that power these platforms.

The Designation Process and Scope

The Commission's designation is not an investigation into wrongdoing but a regulatory classification triggered by user scale. The process relied on the platforms' own reported user figures, which surpassed the 45 million monthly user mark in the EU.

This action expands the list of services already classified under the DSA's tiered system. VLOPs and VLOSEs face the most stringent rules due to their reach and potential influence. The designation brings ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox into a coordinated EU-wide supervision framework.

For users and researchers, the move promises greater insight into how these popular platforms operate. The risk mitigation and assessment reports will eventually become public, shedding light on internal processes often kept confidential.

Available Resources and Next Steps

The European Commission has directed the public to several resources for further context on the DSA regime. These include detailed pages on the supervision of the designated very large online platforms and search engines under DSA, an overview of the regulation's main aspects, and a summary of user rights under the new law.

The four-month deadline means the companies must swiftly adapt their operations. Compliance will involve substantial internal reviews of content moderation, data handling, and algorithmic design. Failure to meet the obligations could result in significant financial penalties under the DSA's enforcement provisions.

The Commission's announcement marks a pivotal step in applying the DSA to a new category of interactive, algorithm-driven services. It explicitly links the deployment of large-scale AI models like ChatGPT to broader societal risks and regulatory accountability. The focus now shifts to the implementation plans these companies will submit to regulators in Brussels.