All Posts By

Warren Ciantar

EU Commission Classifies ChatGPT as a Search Engine: A Brief Look at What This Means Telecoms, Media & Technology

EU Commission Classifies ChatGPT as a Search Engine: A Brief Look at What This Means

The European Commission has recently designated OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (“VLOSE”), whilst Roblox and Reddit have been designated as Very Large Online Platforms (“VLOPs”), making all three subject to the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) . Having each exceeded an average of 45 million monthly users throughout the European Union (“EU”), the newly designated services now have four months (until January 2027) to comply with all additional requirements mandated by the DSA for both VLOSEs and VLOPs. This is particularly noteworthy in the case of ChatGPT, which has now joined the two other VLOSEs, 'Bing' (operated…
Warren Ciantar and Emma Mifsud
14th September 2026
Digital Inclusion
Digital Inclusion: The European Accessibility Act and the Web Accessibility Directive Telecoms, Media & Technology

Digital Inclusion: The European Accessibility Act and the Web Accessibility Directive

As the digital economy continues to expand, businesses must ensure that their products and services are accessible to everyone — including persons with disabilities. Two key EU laws are shaping accessibility obligations in Malta: the European Accessibility Act and the Web Accessibility Directive. These legal frameworks place important compliance responsibilities on entities with an online presence, particularly those operating in retail, e-commerce, consumer electronics, financial services, and other industries that rely heavily on websites and mobile applications to serve customers. What is the European Accessibility Act? The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) will come into force in Malta on…
Warren Ciantar
27th June 2025
Chain
Malta’s Transposition of the NIS 2 Directive: S.L. 460.41 Telecoms, Media & Technology

Malta’s Transposition of the NIS 2 Directive: S.L. 460.41

Following Malta’s Draft Order transposing the EU NIS 2 Directive, which closed for public consultation on 7 October 2024, as an EU Member State, Malta was obliged to transpose EU Directive 2022/2555 (‘NIS 2’) by 17 October 2024. The transposition was finally implemented on 8 April 2025 through Legal Notice 71 of 2025 which creates the Measures for a High Common Level of Cybersecurity across the European Union (Malta) Order, 2025 as Subsidiary Legislation 460.41 (S.L. 460.41). It should however be noted that at time of writing, S.L. 460.41 is not yet in force, though it is expected to come…
Nicole Bonett and Warren Ciantar
22nd April 2025
St James Cavalier Web Dome
DORA is Now in Force: What’s Next? DORAFinTechTelecoms, Media & Technology

DORA is Now in Force: What’s Next?

Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector (“DORA” or the “Act”) became enforceable as of 17th January 2025. DORA Resources As highlighted in various DORA insights by our Firm over the last few months (including a very useful overview of DORA itself), DORA represents a significant milestone in aligning the financial services sector with the EU’s digital finance strategy, offering a regulatory framework for operational resilience and ICT risk management. Designed to bolster operational resilience against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, DORA ushers in a new era…
Mario Mizzi and Warren Ciantar
17th January 2025
EU AI Act series
AI in Investment Services: MIFID Considerations Investment Services & Funds

AI in Investment Services: MIFID Considerations

This article is part of our EU AI Act series which explores the effect of the AI Act across various industries and sectors.  Investment legislation can be split into two broad categories: investment funds and investment services. The former principally relates to UCITS, AIFMD and local laws which regulate asset management and their service providers. The latter relates to regulating financial instruments and the investment markets thereof. The interplay of AI with investment funds was discussed by our Firm in a series of six insights last year titled “AI and Funds” which can be read here.  Hence, in this article in the ongoing…
Warren Ciantar and Mario Mizzi
25th October 2024
Pier on Seashore in Malta
DORA: An Overview of the Maltese Legal Provisions Data Protection and PrivacyDORATelecoms, Media & Technology

DORA: An Overview of the Maltese Legal Provisions

On 16 July 2024, Legal Notice 166 of 2024 was published in Malta. This implemented the relevant provisions of DORA (full title being Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector and amending Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009, (EU) 648/2012, (EU) 600/2014, (EU) No 909/2014 and (EU) 2016/1011) into Maltese law. The said provisions can now be found under the Malta Financial Services Authority Act (Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)) Regulations, 2024 (S.L. 330.20) – the ‘Maltese Regulations’. The Maltese Regulations shall come into force on…
Warren Ciantar and Neeraj Bharwani
31st July 2024