ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox come under the EU's platform rules

The European Commission announced that ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox are now regulated as "very large online platforms" (VLOPs) and very large online search engines under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The designation follows the services themselves declaring that they reach at least 45 million monthly users in the EU, the threshold that triggers the bloc's stricter regime.

The three companies have four months to comply with the additional obligations that come with the classification, according to the Commission.

What the DSA is and why 45 million matters

The Digital Services Act is the European framework that governs platform liability for content. It works in tiers: the greater the reach, the greater the obligations. At the top of that pyramid are the VLOPs, defined precisely by the cutoff of 45 million monthly users in the European Union, about 10% of the bloc's population.

The classification is not merely symbolic. According to the Commission, it enables the regulator to supervise compliance and obtain investigative powers to examine the functionalities behind the services, something well beyond a one-off content removal request.

The technical detail of the classification stands out: under DSA rules, ChatGPT was classified as an online search engine, not as a content platform. Roblox (games) and Reddit (discussion forums), in turn, were classified as online platforms, because they let users disseminate third-party content to the public.

The obligations placed on the three

With the designation, ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox must, among other requirements:

• Assess and mitigate risks of illegal content spreading on their platforms;
• Mitigate negative effects on minors and on users' physical and mental well-being;
• Limit risks to fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security.

These are systemic risk analysis obligations, not just reactive response ones. In practice, this usually translates into transparency reports, independent audits, reporting channels and mechanisms to explain moderation decisions.

ChatGPT's classification as a search engine is the most relevant novelty from an architectural standpoint, opening up a practical discussion about how to apply rules designed for traditional search to a model that generates text instead of listing links.

What changes for developers in Brazil

The DSA applies to the European market, but its effect extends beyond the EU's borders through two paths that matter to those building software in Brazil.

The first is the Brussels effect: when a global platform needs to restructure moderation, transparency and protection of minors to comply with Europe, it rarely keeps two separate products. Behavioral changes, new notices, age restrictions and API adjustments tend to reach all users, including Brazilians, through engineering standardization.

The second is the regulatory parallel. Brazil has long debated a framework for platform liability, and a ruling by the STF (Brazil's Supreme Court) on Article 19 of the Marco Civil da Internet, Brazil's internet bill of rights, changed the liability regime for third-party content. For developers, the European DSA is a laboratory for what may become a requirement here: systemic risk assessment, audit trails and moderation appeal mechanisms stop being a differentiator and become a compliance requirement.

Those who integrate with these platforms via API feel the impact directly. Applications built on ChatGPT, Reddit bots or experiences within Roblox are subject to policy changes that may restrict types of content, require age verification or alter endpoint behavior, especially regarding minors.

What remains open

The source does not detail what concrete measures each company will adopt within the four-month deadline, nor how ChatGPT will meet obligations originally designed for search engines. The announcement also provides no information about possible fines or the enforcement timeline after the compliance period.

The point to watch is the precedent: with a generative AI system classified as a VLOP, how the European Commission interprets "systemic risk" in a system that generates content, rather than merely indexing it, will define the regulatory landscape for the entire category in the coming years.

Source 1: ET Tech (India) (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-reddit-roblox-to-adhere-to-eus-very-large-platform-rules/articleshow/133650637.cms)