EU fines X $140 million over ‘deceptive’ blue checkmarks
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TL;DR
- The EU has fined X €120 million (about $140 million) for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA).
- This is the first time a company has been fined under the DSA for curbing illegal and harmful activities online.
- X was found to be non-compliant with obligations regarding advertising transparency, data access for researchers, and deceptive interface features ('dark patterns').
- The blue checkmark system was specifically cited for deceiving users by allowing paid verification, making account authenticity difficult to determine.
- The European Commission noted that while user verification isn't mandated by the DSA, falsely claiming users are verified is prohibited.