EU Fines X €120 Million for Digital Services Act Violations
Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has been hit with a €120 million ($140 million) fine by EU regulators for breaching online transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The penalty stems from alleged deceptive practices around account verification and insufficient data access for researchers.
The EU contends X’s blue checkmark system misled users by implying authenticity for paid accounts without proper vetting. Internal investigations revealed evidence of bad actors exploiting the platform’s verification framework.
Musk, who acquired X for $44 billion in 2022, criticized the DSA as censorship. The EU Commission rebuffed the claim, stating its rules aim to balance free expression with user protections, including appeal mechanisms for account restrictions.
