European Union regulators on Friday imposed a €120 million ($140 million) fine on Elon Musk’s social media platform X for violating the bloc’s digital rules, citing risks that users could be exposed to scams and manipulation.
The European Commission’s decision follows a two-year investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a wide-ranging law that obliges platforms to take responsibility for user protection and remove harmful or illegal content, with fines for noncompliance.
The Commission said X, formerly Twitter, breached three transparency rules under the DSA. Specifically, X’s blue checkmarks were deemed “deceptively designed,” potentially exposing users to scams. The platform also failed to meet ad database transparency standards, with delays and access barriers hindering research on digital ads, their sponsors, and target audiences.
“Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring ad information, and restricting researcher access have no place online in the EU. The DSA protects users,” said Henna Virkunnen, EU executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy.
The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The decision underscores EU regulators’ efforts to enforce stricter accountability for tech platforms and could provoke reactions from U.S. officials, who have previously criticized Brussels’ digital rules.
