Europe has made a notable move in enforcing its Digital Services Act (DSA) by levying a €120 million penalty on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (previously Twitter). This fine represents the first significant financial consequence under the DSA, underscoring the EU’s resolve to regulate digital services and promote transparency and user safety.
The primary concern centers on the blue checkmark, which initially represented verified public figures like journalists, celebrities, and politicians. However, following Musk’s takeover of the platform, the requirements for acquiring this mark have altered. Now, any user who subscribes and submits a profile photo, display name, and phone number is eligible to receive the blue checkmark. The European Commission has labeled this practice misleading, as it leads users to assume accounts are verified without proper identity verification, thereby enabling scams and impersonations.
Moreover, the EU has criticized X’s advertising database for its lack of transparency. The database, designed to reveal information about ad purchasers and the nature of advertisements, did not fulfill the DSA’s transparency standards. Crucial details, such as the identities of ad buyers and the specifics of the ads, were either absent or not readily available.
In addition, researchers attempting to investigate disinformation or abuses of the platform encountered difficulties in accessing essential public data. X’s policies reportedly hindered data scraping and introduced delays, obstructing research initiatives and violating the DSA.
X has been allotted 60 working days to rectify the blue checkmark situation and 90 days to conform to ad transparency and data access guidelines. Should the platform meet these obligations, it may establish a precedent for more transparent and accurate verification methods on social media. Noncompliance could lead to ongoing fines and possible requirements for genuine identity verification instead of simple subscription-based badges. This enforcement action highlights the EU’s commitment to holding digital platforms accountable and safeguarding users from deceptive practices.
