Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has been fined €120m (£105m) by the European Commission for breaching new EU digital laws, marking the first enforcement under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The violations, under investigation for two years
The violations, under investigation for two years, included a “deceptive” blue tick verification system that allowed subscribers to buy verified status, lack of transparency in advertising, and failure to provide researchers access to public data. The fine breaks down into €45m for the blue tick system, €35m for ad breaches, and €40m for data access violations.
Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice-president responsible for tech regulation, says: “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU.”
The ruling could strain EU-US tech relations
The ruling could strain EU-US tech relations and potentially draw attention from Donald Trump’s administration. Musk has 90 days to submit an action plan and may appeal the decision, as other tech giants, including Apple, have done.
Three other ongoing investigations into X focus on content moderation and algorithms, including potential breaches of laws against incitement to violence or terrorism. Meanwhile, the EU has secured commitments from TikTok to meet advertising transparency requirements.
Elon Musk’s X // Shutterstock