Earlier, "X" was heavily fined by the European Commission for violating the Digital Services Act. The EU determined that "X" had violated platform transparency rules.Three violationsTherefore, a fine of 1.2 million euros (approximately 1.4 million US dollars) was imposed.
The ruling primarily targets X’s controversial “blue checkmark” verification system, as well as issues such as the lack of transparency in its advertising database and restrictions on researchers’ access to data.
The EU says that blue checkmarks mean anyone can buy them, misleading users into thinking they are verified.
The European Commission's core accusation lies in the design of the blue checkmark on the "X". In the Twitter era, the blue checkmark indicated that the account had been officially verified, but after Elon Musk took over and the system was changed to a paid subscription model, anyone can basically obtain the mark by paying.
The EU points out that this "deceptive design" makes it impossible for users to distinguish whether the person they are interacting with is genuine, thus exposing them to the risk of fraud and impersonation. The EU emphasized in its statement: "Although..."Digital Services Act The DSA does not mandate user verification, but it explicitly prohibits online platforms from falsely claiming that a user has been verified without actually verifying them.
Advertising databases create obstacles and hinder researchers.
Besides the blue checkmark, the "X" was also found to be in violation in two other areas:
• Insufficient advertising transparency:The EU ruled that "X's" advertising database used "design features and access barriers" that made it difficult for the public to determine the source of the advertisements and to effectively identify fraudulent or threatening activities, highlighting "X's" failure to provide sufficient information about the content of the advertisements and the entities that paid for them.
• Restricting access to research data:The Digital Services Act requires platforms to provide public data to qualified researchers. The EU accuses "X" of imposing unnecessary restrictions and directly impacting researchers' analyses of systemic risks within the EU.
A response must be provided within the specified timeframe, along with an improvement plan.
This is the first ruling on a violation regarding the blue checkmark certification issue since the Digital Services Act came into effect. "X" now has 60 working days to respond to the ruling and must submit a concrete action plan within 90 days outlining how it will address the issues with the advertising database and data access. Failure to comply will result in further fines for "X".
