The US platforms have four months to comply with the bloc’s controversial Digital Services Act
The European Union has placed ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox under the strictest tier of its online regulations, giving the US-based services four months to comply with rules denounced by Washington and leading tech figures as censorship.
The European Commission on Monday designated ChatGPT a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox were classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). All three reported at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU, crossing the threshold for heightened oversight.
They now have until the end of December to comply with additional requirements, including assessing and mitigating “systemic risks” linked to illegal content, minors, users’ physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, elections and public security. Violations of the DSA can carry fines of up to 6% of a company’s annual global turnover.
Brussels argues the law makes powerful platforms safer and more accountable. Critics, however, say its broad demands to police harmful content and mitigate vaguely defined societal risks pressure companies to suppress lawful speech to avoid punishment.
None of the three companies has publicly challenged the designation. OpenAI and Reddit said they were preparing to comply with the new requirements, while Roblox pledged to continue working “constructively” with Brussels.
The DSA and its competition-focused sister law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), have become a major source of friction with Washington. US President Donald Trump has ordered officials to scrutinize EU digital rules that could force American companies to moderate content in ways that “undermine freedom of speech and political engagement.”
Vice President J.D. Vance has likewise accused Europe of retreating from free speech, telling the Munich Security Conference last year that “digital censorship” was being presented as a defense of democracy and warning that “free speech… is in retreat” across Europe.
X owner Elon Musk has been among the DSA’s fiercest critics. He accused the European Commission of offering X an “illegal secret deal” under which it could avoid punishment by “quietly” censoring speech, claiming other platforms had accepted. Brussels denied the allegation.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has similarly accused the EU of using the DSA to expand censorship. In April, he argued that Brussels was using sympathetic Soros-backed NGOs and media to justify increased online surveillance and restrictions, warning that such campaigns were being used to “take away what’s left of our freedoms.”
