They will be added to the EU’s ‘very large online platform’ list in August
The European Union is gearing up to label ChatGPT and Roblox as “very large online platforms,” according to Bloomberg. They will reportedly be joining other platforms, such as Google Maps and Play, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and YouTube, in the EU’s list of VLOPs this August. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), platforms and search engines with more than 45 million users a month in the region are given the designation. While it does mean that they’re widely used in the block, it also subjects them to stricter rules and gives them more requirements to comply with.
Within four months of being officially designation as a VLOP, they will have to establish a point of contact for authorities and users, launch user-friendly terms and conditions, as well as be transparent when it comes to their advertising, recommendation systems and content moderation decisions. They will also be required to report criminal offenses.
Platforms will have to assess and identify the risks on their services related to illegal content, electoral processes, gender-based violence, freedom of expression, media freedom and discrimination, among others. And then, they have to put measures in place to mitigate those risks. VLOPs are required to establish an internal compliance process, be audited every year to ensure they’ve adopted measures auditors have recommended, share their data with the European Commission and allow vetted researchers to access it, as well.
The services are bound to announce any changes for users in the bloc in the coming months, if they do indeed get the designation. Roblox has a reported child endangerment problem and is facing multiple lawsuits from various authorities, accusing it of failing to protect children from the predatory behavior of adult players. Meanwhile, OpenAI recently got a lot of flak after it was revealed that it didn’t notify authorities when it banned the ChatGPT account owned by the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting suspect in 2025. The company has since vowed to report credible threats to authorities. It’s also facing wrongful death lawsuits from the families of users who died from suicide, alleging that the platform lacked safeguards for suicidal behaviors.
