""Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement. "The DSA protects users. The DSA gives researchers the way to uncover potential threats. The DSA restores trust in the online environment. With the DSA's first non-compliance decision, we are holding X responsible for undermining users' rights and evading accountability.""
"In July 2024, the EU preliminarily ruled that X was failing to comply with obligations around advertising transparency, data access for researchers, and "dark patterns" - deceptive interface features designed to trick users. X's blue checkmark system was specifically called out for deceiving users by allowing anyone to pay to be "verified," making it harder to determine the authenticity of X accounts."
The European Union imposed a €120 million penalty on X for breaching Digital Services Act obligations, marking the first DSA fine. The sanction addresses deceptive interface features, advertising transparency failures, and limitations on data access for researchers, with the blue checkmark verification system cited for misleading users by allowing paid verification that obscures account authenticity. The EU began investigating X in December 2023 and issued a preliminary non-compliance finding in July 2024. The DSA allows fines up to 6 percent of global revenue. X, a private company acquired by Elon Musk and later by X AI, can appeal or settle by complying with DSA requirements.
Read at The Verge
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