In Its First DSA Penalty, EU Fines X €120M For ‘Deceptive’ Blue Check Verification System
EU fines X €120M for deceptive blue check verification under the Digital Services Act.
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In Its First DSA Penalty, EU Fines X €120M For ‘Deceptive’ Blue Check Verification System
EU Slaps €120M Fine on X Over “Deceptive” Blue Checks The European Commission (EC) has issued its first-ever fine under the Digital Services Act (DSA), targeting Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. The fine, totaling €120 million (around $140 million), addresses what regulators call a “deceptive” blue check verification system. This action highlights growing scrutiny over transparency and user trust on social media platforms, sparking questions about the future of digital identity verification. Credit: Bryce Durbin Under the current system, the blue checkmark no longer reflects verified identity. Instead, it simply signals that a user subscribes to X Premium and meets certain basic requirements, such as linking a phone number and having a profile picture. According to the EC, this change misleads users about the authenticity of accounts they interact with. What the Commission Called “Deceptive Design” The EU described X’s blue checkmark system as a “deceptive design practice.” Previously…
