The European Commission announced on 26 August 2026 that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is now a “Very Large Online Search Engine” (VLOSE) and that Reddit and Roblox are “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The move subjects all three services to the bloc’s most stringent online‑safety regime and gives them until 30 November 2026 – four months – to meet the new obligations.
What the designations mean
Under the DSA, any service that reaches more than 45 million monthly EU users – roughly 10 % of the EU population – is classified as “very large” and must comply with enhanced supervision, systemic‑risk assessments, child‑protection measures, election‑integrity safeguards and other duties. The Commission’s decision therefore places the three services squarely in that category.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice‑President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, explained that the designations “mean that ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability.” The statement was quoted by Euronews Business, the source that confirms the designations and the four‑month compliance timeline.
EU‑wide user reach
The three services each exceed the 45‑million threshold. Euronews Business provides six‑month averages ending March 2026:
| Service | Users | Unit | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 159 | million | six months ending March 2026 | Euronews Business |
| 57.2 | million | six months ending March 2026 | Euronews Business | |
| Roblox | 48 | million | six months ending March 2026 | Euronews Business |
All three comfortably surpass the 45‑million benchmark, justifying the VLOSE/VLOP labels.
Company backgrounds and recent financials
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is a private U.S. firm headquartered in San Francisco. Its chief executive is Sam Altman, according to Wikidata. The company’s employee count is listed as 4,500, though the packet notes that Wikidata may lag reality.
Reddit, Inc. is a publicly traded U.S. company (ticker RDDT, NYSE) also based in San Francisco. Steve Huffman is its chief executive. The latest Form 10‑Q filed on 31 July 2026 shows:
- Revenue of $1.468 billion for the six‑month period 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Jun 2026.
- Net income of $456.8 million for the same period.
- Total assets of $3.637 billion and shareholders’ equity of $3.286 billion.
Roblox Corp., listed on the NYSE under RBLX, reported in its most recent Form 10‑K (filed 28 Feb 2023) a revenue of $2.225 billion for fiscal year 2022. The latest Form 10‑Q (filed 30 Jul 2026) shows a net loss of $429 million for the six‑month period 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Jun 2026, total assets of $9.745 billion and shareholders’ equity of $152 million. The filing also lists 714.3 million shares outstanding as of 30 Jun 2026.
These financial snapshots illustrate that Reddit remains profitable, while Roblox is still operating at a loss despite a sizable asset base.
Timeline of the regulatory action
- 26 August 2026 – European Commission announces the VLOSE/VLOP designations (reported 31 Aug 2026).
- 30 November 2026 – Deadline for the three services to comply with the DSA’s enhanced obligations.
If a company fails to meet the obligations by the deadline, the DSA allows the Commission to impose fines of up to 6 % of worldwide annual turnover, though the exact penalty wording was truncated in the source excerpt.
Analysis: why the breakthrough matters
The DSA has been applied to large social media platforms for years, but this is the first time an AI‑driven chatbot is treated as a search engine. The distinction matters because a search engine is expected to retrieve and rank live web results, which raises specific systemic‑risk concerns – for example, the potential to amplify misinformation or manipulate public opinion through algorithmic ranking. By classifying ChatGPT as a VLOSE, the Commission signals that AI‑generated content will be subject to the same transparency and risk‑mitigation standards as Google Search or Bing.
Reddit and Roblox, both user‑generated‑content platforms, already face scrutiny under the DSA, but the VLOP label tightens oversight. Reddit’s large community‑driven discussion forums and Roblox’s user‑created gaming ecosystem both attract minors, making child‑protection obligations especially salient.
From an investor perspective, the designations add regulatory risk. The four‑month window compresses the time for compliance programmes, legal reviews and technical changes. Companies will likely need to invest in content‑moderation tooling, risk‑assessment frameworks and reporting mechanisms to the Commission. For Reddit, which posted a healthy profit, the cost may be absorbed, but for Roblox, already posting a net loss, the additional compliance spend could pressure cash flow.
For EU users, the designations promise stronger safeguards. The DSA requires platforms to publish annual transparency reports, conduct independent audits, and provide mechanisms for users to contest content decisions. The Commission’s direct oversight means that non‑compliance can be acted upon swiftly.
What remains unknown
The packet does not contain the exact compliance steps each company will take, nor does it disclose the Commission’s detailed enforcement plan beyond the deadline. It also does not specify the exact methodology used to calculate the EU‑wide monthly active‑user figures – whether they are based on logged‑in sessions, cookie data, or third‑party analytics.
Finally, the leadership and headcount figures for Roblox are missing from the packet, and the Wikidata‑derived data for OpenAI and Reddit may be out of date. Those details will need confirmation from the companies’ own disclosures before publication.
What happens next
Both the Commission and the three companies are expected to issue public statements outlining compliance roadmaps in the coming weeks. Stakeholders – from investors to civil‑society groups – will watch closely for the first concrete set of DSA‑compliant policies from an AI chatbot. The deadline of 30 November 2026 will be a key milestone; any missed deadline could trigger the DSA’s fine regime, potentially reshaping how AI services operate in Europe.
Until then, the EU’s move stands as a regulatory first, expanding the scope of the Digital Services Act beyond traditional platforms and into the rapidly growing AI‑generated content space.