VLOSE (Very Large Online Search Engine)
EU Digital Services Act designation for search engines with 45M+ monthly active EU users; equivalent obligations to VLOPs.
What VLOSE (Very Large Online Search Engine) means
A Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE) under the EU Digital Services Act is a search service with at least 45 million monthly active EU users, designated by the European Commission. VLOSEs share most VLOP obligations: systemic-risk assessments, transparency reporting, researcher data access, independent audits, and direct Commission supervision. The first VLOSE designations (April 2023) covered Google Search and Bing. The distinction matters because search engines face different content-surface obligations than hosting platforms — focused on result ranking, ad serving, and algorithmic transparency rather than user-generated content moderation.
Related terms
VLOP (Very Large Online Platform)
EU Digital Services Act designation for platforms with 45M+ monthly active EU users; subject to systemic-risk and transparency obligations.
DSA Transparency Database
Public European Commission database where VLOPs/VLOSEs publish every content moderation decision (Statement of Reasons) under Article 24(5) of the DSA.