Elon Musk’s X Violates Non-Transparency, Breach of DSA Online Content Rules, Says EU

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Tech platform, X, formerly Twitter, owned by Elon Musk, is accused of breaking EU content regulations and deceiving users with its blue checkmarks for verified accounts.

A statement on Friday to a report from Brussels disclosed this, saying it could result in steep fines.

The EU industry chief Thierry Breton disclosed this in the statement after preliminary findings from its investigation into X, under the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Services Act.

Indications are that the blue badge system that Musk introduced has angered EU regulators, unlike before, it was only available to verified accounts—which included leaders, businesses, and journalists—after authorization.

The EU executive highlighted X’s questionable practices while promoting openness and researcher access to data.

It said that X’s validated accounts, which have a blue checkmark, do not adhere to industry standards and have a detrimental impact on users’ autonomy to choose the legitimacy of the accounts they engage with.

Also, the Commission accused X of non-compliance with a DSA requirement that businesses maintain a searchable and trustworthy advertisement repository.

The statement said, “X has now the right of defence — but if our view is confirmed we will impose fines and require significant chsnges.”

X was also accused of preventing researchers from using its publicly available data.

Prior to Musk’s acquisition, the checkmarks, which resembled social media verification badges, were mostly exclusive to prominent accounts belonging to politicians, celebrities, and other significant people.

“Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a ‘verified” status’ it negatively affects users’ ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with,” the commission said.

If found guilty of violating the DSA, the corporation might be fined up to 6% of its global revenue. It will take several months to reply to the charges.

Earlier report stated that the iPad operating system is set to comply with the regulations of the DMA within six months, as per a letter issued by the European Commission to the tech giant.