The European Court of Justice’s General Court dismissed Amazon’s challenge to its designation as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on November 19, 2025. The court confirmed that Amazon must comply with the DSA’s most stringent obligations, including annual risk assessments, data sharing with researchers, independent audits, and supervisory fees.
Under the DSA, a VLOP is defined as a platform with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU. Amazon argued that its marketplace, which primarily sells goods rather than distributing speech or advertising, does not pose the systemic risks the DSA seeks to mitigate and that the classification infringes on fundamental rights. The court rejected those arguments, stating that a platform of Amazon’s size can expose a large number of users to illegal content and that the VLOP designation is justified to protect consumers and uphold the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The ruling obliges Amazon to conduct comprehensive risk assessments of its marketplace, publish detailed transparency reports, share anonymized data with researchers, and undergo independent audits of its content‑moderation processes. In addition, Amazon will pay a supervisory fee calculated as a percentage of its EU sales and must report on the effectiveness of its mitigation measures to the European Commission.
These requirements are expected to increase Amazon’s regulatory costs and may prompt changes to its content‑moderation workflow, data‑handling practices, and advertising strategy. The company will need to allocate resources to meet reporting deadlines and to demonstrate compliance with the DSA’s risk‑management framework, potentially affecting the speed and flexibility of its marketplace operations.
Amazon’s spokesperson said the company is disappointed with the ruling but remains committed to protecting customers from illegal products and content. “We intend to appeal the decision to the EU Court of Justice,” the spokesperson added, emphasizing that Amazon’s marketplace does not disseminate or amplify information in the same way that advertising‑based platforms do.
The decision reinforces the EU’s stance that even e‑commerce marketplaces can be subject to the DSA’s VLOP obligations, setting a precedent that may influence other large platforms operating in the EU. The ruling underscores the growing regulatory scrutiny of digital intermediaries and signals that Amazon will face increased compliance demands in the coming years.
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