The European Commission has designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as very large online services, as established by European Union regulations. The three platforms confirmed having a minimum of 45 million monthly users in the bloc, placing them in the category of 'very large' services under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
This classification implies the adoption of new requirements by the companies. According to Reuters, the companies have a four-month deadline to comply with supplementary rules addressing risks associated with the dissemination of illegal content, the protection of minors, and potential effects on user well-being.
In the specific case of ChatGPT, the European Commission categorized its artificial intelligence system as an online search engine under the scope of the DSA. Reddit and Roblox were categorized as online platforms because both allow users to make third-party generated content available to the public, which is the criterion used by the Commission for this determination.
The determining factor for inclusion in this category is the volume of reach within the European Union, with all three services reporting reaching at least 45 million monthly users in the territory.
This classification increases the amount of risks that the companies must assess and mitigate. Obligations include guidelines allowing the European Commission to oversee the internal functioning of the services themselves, potentially investigating specific features to verify compliance with the DSA.
The European Commission will be the entity responsible for monitoring whether the platforms meet the additional obligations, and it can exercise its investigative powers to ensure compliance with the rules. This decision groups very different services—an AI tool, a discussion platform, and a gaming service—under the same supervision regime, with reach being the point of convergence.
From this moment on, these services have the responsibility to prove that they are implementing measures to reduce dangers related to published content, users, and how their services operate.