EU eyes ChatGPT, Roblox under strict Digital Services Act rules

The European Union Commission on Thursday raised the possibility of including ChatGPT and Roblox in the list of very large online platforms or search engines that fall under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The announcement comes from the EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier who claimed that both these apps could be subjected to stricter scrutiny under the EU content moderation rules.

Both Roblox and OpenAI’s ChatGPT have exceeded the threshold of 45 million users in the bloc. Hence, this designation of “very large online platforms (VLOPs)” is “definitely possible” and could “come sooner or later,” he said.

According to Bloomberg’s report, the decision is expected as early as August.

If included in the DSA list, the platforms have to comply with a series of obligations and rules related to transparency. As VLOPs, both companies will be obliged to meet the safety requirements, including clamping down on harmful content, filing transparency reports, and detailing risk mitigation plans.

The rules will require the companies to establish contact points for users and authorities aimed at promoting enhanced transparency, recommendation systems and publishing clear terms of services.

Any kind of violent activity and illegal content will be prohibited from the platforms while maintaining internal compliance systems and undertaking independent audits. They must share required data with EU for better oversight and analysis.

Both companies will be obliged to pay an annual fee to the European Commission. In the case of violating the rules of DSA, they will face hefty fines of up to 6 percent of their annual global sales.

The European Commission has opened over a dozen probes under the DSA since 2022 to protect minors online.