- The European Commission named ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as very large online services under the Digital Services Act.
- ChatGPT now counts as a search engine, while regulators sorted Reddit and Roblox into the large platform group.
- All three services have until January 2027 to meet tough new safety rules or face heavy fines.
The European Union just put three more tech giants under its strictest watch. On August 31, 2026, the European Commission named OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as very large online services. That label comes from the EU’s Digital Services Act, or DSA. It forces big platforms to follow extra safety and transparency steps.
Regulators sorted the three services differently. They marked ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine. They placed Reddit and Roblox in the Very Large Online Platform group instead. Both categories sit at the top of the DSA’s rulebook.
Why the EU Picked These Three Services
The DSA sets a clear bar for its strictest oversight. Any service with 45 million or more average monthly users in the EU must join this top tier. ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox all cleared that mark, based on figures the companies reported.
ChatGPT’s search feature alone reportedly serves over 150 million monthly users across the EU. Reddit and Roblox also passed the 45 million threshold, according to Reuters.
The ChatGPT decision stands out the most. The Commission treats the AI chatbot as a search tool for DSA purposes. It is called ChatGPT, a hybrid service. The tool answers user questions and also searches the internet for information. This makes ChatGPT one of the first AI chatbots the EU has placed under its search engine rules.
Reddit and Roblox earned their platform label for a different reason. Both let users post, share and interact with content in public view. That kind of open sharing brings extra scrutiny under EU law, according to Euronews.
New Rules the three Companies must Follow
Joining this top tier brings real work for OpenAI, Reddit and Roblox. Each company must now check its own service for systemic risks. They must also act to reduce those risks once found.
Regulators want the companies to watch for several dangers. These include illegal content spreading on their platforms. They also cover harm to young users and threats to people’s mental and physical health. Election interference and public safety risks fall on that list too, per The Verge.
The three services face closer outside checks as well. Independent auditors will review their systems. The companies must also work with regulators and approved researchers who study their platforms. The European Commission gains stronger power to dig into how these services actually work behind the scenes.
A deadline now sits on the calendar. The Commission gave all three companies four months to meet these new DSA duties. That deadline lands in January 2027. Missing it carries a steep cost. Fines can reach up to 6% of a company’s yearly global earnings, based on details from the Financial Times.
Reactions to the EU’s Decision
Not everyone agrees on what this move means. Some support the EU’s tighter grip on big tech. They argue that services reaching this many users hold real power over public information. That power grows even larger when kids, elections, and public safety enter the picture.
Others see it differently. Critics say Europe keeps tightening rules that mostly weigh on large American tech firms, according to the Wall Street Journal. They worry the DSA singles out US companies more than local ones.
The European Commission pushes back on that claim. Officials say the DSA applies based on a service’s size and reach, not where it was built. UPI reported that this stance keeps the rule the same for every qualifying platform, regardless of origin.
This decision also shows where EU tech rules are heading next. The bloc first built the DSA around social media and search engines. Now regulators are stretching those same rules toward fast-growing AI tools. ChatGPT’s new label may set the pattern other AI services face later, as their own user numbers and search features keep expanding.
For now, OpenAI, Reddit and Roblox must prepare for a busy few months. Each company needs to build risk reports, open its systems to outside review and answer to a regulator with real investigative teeth. The next checkpoint arrives in January 2027, when the world sees whether these three services meet the EU’s toughest online safety standard.
OpenAI’s Mac plugin lets ChatGPT access Apple Messages, requiring broad permissions and raising privacy concerns over encrypted message data and potential server-side processing.
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About the Author
Rebecca James is an IT consultant with forward thinking approach toward developing IT infrastructures of SMEs. She writes to engage with individuals and raise awareness of digital security, privacy, and better IT infrastructure.
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