The three platforms will get four months to comply with tighter regulations under the Digital Services Act.
The European Union is tightening its grip on ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox. The European Commission (EC) designated ChatGPT as a “Very Large Online Search Engine,” and Reddit and Roblox as “Very Large Online Platforms.” These three platforms each crossed the threshold of at least 45 million average monthly users in the European Union, triggering the designations that carry “the most stringent rules” under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
“These new designations mean that ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society,” Henna Virkkunen, the EC’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a press release.
The “very large” designation means stricter enforcement with ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox’s services and algorithmic systems, particularly when it comes to how they can spread illegal content, cause negative effects for minors and impact electoral processes. The new label also means that the EC will supervise these platforms more closely for compliance with the DSA, including requiring the sharing of data with the commission and authorities, annual reviews from independent auditors and allowing researchers to access a platform’s data in certain cases.
With the addition of ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox, the EC is now designates 28 services as very large online platforms or search engines under the DSA. Earlier this year, the EU hit WhatsApp with the same designation that Facebook and Instagram already had. We reached out to OpenAI, Reddit and Roblox for comment on the change and will update the story when we hear back.
