The European Union has accused Elon Musk’s social media site X of breaching online content rules, specifically targeting its “verified” blue tick accounts. The EU’s tech regulator found that these blue tick marks could potentially deceive users, as anyone can pay for the verification without their identity being truly verified.
The investigation under the Digital Services Act revealed evidence of “malicious actors” abusing the system on X, leading to concerns about transparency around advertising and data provision for research purposes. The ruling could result in fines up to 6% of X’s global annual turnover and force the platform to change its operations within the EU.
Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, expressed disappointment in how X’s verified accounts no longer signify trustworthy sources of information, but instead deceive users. X has the opportunity to defend itself, but if found guilty, fines and significant changes will be imposed.
Additionally, X was charged with blocking researchers from accessing its public data, further complicating the situation. The Commission will continue to investigate X’s practices regarding illegal content dissemination and combating fake news, potentially leading to an enhanced supervision period for compliance.
This development adds to the ongoing scrutiny of big tech firms under the Digital Services Act, with ByteDance’s TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta Platforms also facing investigations. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for X and its operations in the EU.
