The European regulators have slapped X (formerly Twitter) with a €120 million penalty for misleading users with its paid blue-check verification system and breaking transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
This is the first major DSA fine handed down since the law took effect.
What Went Wrong?
EU investigators ruled that:
- Anyone can buy a blue tick without real identity checks This makes impersonation and scams easier X also blocked researchers from public data and hid details about advertising practices
Immediate Political Storm
The decision landed just as U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned Brussels against “attacking American companies.” Elon Musk quickly backed Vance’s post with his own criticism.
EU Technology Commissioner Henna Virkkunen fired back: “This is purely about transparency — not censorship.”
Fine Could Have Been Much Bigger
Under DSA rules, penalties can reach 6% of global revenue. For Musk, that could have meant billions across Tesla, SpaceX and X. Brussels chose a “proportionate” €120 million instead.
Bigger US-EU Tech Clash
The timing fuels transatlantic tension. The Trump White House has called EU digital rules “regulatory suffocation” and tied future trade talks to how Europe treats U.S. tech giants.
France hailed the fine as “historic,” while Germany stressed the law applies equally to everyone.
TikTok Also Under Pressure
Separately, the Commission accepted binding promises from TikTok to fix its ad transparency but other probes into the Chinese app continue.
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