EU Fines Elon Musk’s X Platform $140M for Digital Services Act Violations
Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a £120 million ($140 million) fine from the European Commission for breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA). The penalty follows a two-year investigation that uncovered three key violations: deceptive design of the blue checkmark system, lack of transparency in advertising data, and restricted access to public data for researchers.
US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, criticized the decision as targeting American tech firms. The EU's first enforcement action under its 2022 digital regulations signals tightening oversight of online platforms.
X's verification system underwent radical changes after Musk's 2022 acquisition. Previously reserved for public figures, blue checkmarks became a paid feature at $8/month—a MOVE regulators argue compromises users' ability to assess account authenticity.
