The European Commission has added ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox to the strictest category under the European Digital Services Act (DSA), classifying ChatGPT as a very large online search engine (VLOSE) and Reddit and Roblox as very large online platforms (VLOPs). The decision subjects all three services to a broad range of obligations concerning content, algorithmic risks, and user rights.
The “very large” designation is based on exceeding an average of 45 million monthly users within the European Union, a threshold equivalent to approximately 10% of the Union’s population. According to the figures cited in the article, ChatGPT’s search feature averaged approximately 159 million monthly users during the six months ending in March 2026, compared with 57.2 million monthly users for Reddit and approximately 48 million for Roblox.
Why Does ChatGPT’s Classification Matter?
What is notable about the decision is that the Commission did not treat ChatGPT solely as an artificial-intelligence chatbot. Because it can search the web when needed and generate answers based on that search, the Commission considered it a hybrid service falling within the category of search engines under the DSA. This classification represents an important practical case of how existing digital-platform rules apply to generative artificial-intelligence services that combine direct interaction with online search.
What Changes in Practice?
The companies will be required to regularly assess the systemic risks that may arise from their services and take measures to mitigate them. The areas covered by the assessment include the spread of illegal content, child protection, users’ physical and mental health, fundamental rights, elections, and public safety.
The obligations also include undergoing independent audits, sharing data with regulators, and making a specified amount of platform data available to approved researchers. The rules further require greater transparency regarding recommendation algorithms, including providing an option that does not rely on user profiling, as well as making advertisements clearer. The DSA prohibits advertisements targeted at children and restricts targeting based on sensitive characteristics such as sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or political opinions.
Deadlines and Regulatory Authorities
The companies have four months to adapt to their new status, while the additional obligations should be implemented by early 2027. The European Commission will cooperate with Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, Coimisiún na Meán, to oversee ChatGPT and Reddit. Roblox, meanwhile, will be subject to national coordination by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets.
By raising the number of services classified in the strictest category to 28 platforms and search engines, the decision confirms that the DSA’s scope is not limited to traditional social networks. Noncompliance may result in fines of up to 6% of a company’s global annual revenue. According to the information provided, the total fines imposed so far under the law amount to approximately €870 million, including a €550 million fine imposed on AliExpress in July.
certi.news Analysis
The actual change here is not the launch of a new feature, but the transition of three widely used services to a level of regulatory oversight that places greater responsibility on companies for the effects of their systems and algorithms. This matters to ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox users within the European Union, as well as to compliance and governance teams that will need to document risk assessments and cooperate with auditors and researchers. The open question is how the Commission will practically apply ChatGPT’s classification as a hybrid search service and what criteria it will use to assess the risks arising from artificial-intelligence answers, search, and recommendations.