European Union Slaps Elon Musk's X With $140 Million Fine for Breaching Transparency Rules
In a significant move, the European Commission has imposed a hefty fine of €120 million ($140 million) on Elon Musk's social media platform X, the company formerly known as Twitter. The EU's executive arm accused X of violating its transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA), specifically regarding the blue checkmarking verification system and advertising practices.
The Commission claimed that the removal of user verification for blue checks has created a risk of scams and impersonation fraud, making it difficult for users to determine the authenticity of accounts they engage with. The EU also argues that X's design features in its advertising repository make it challenging for legitimate actors and the general public to identify online ads and spot potential threats.
Furthermore, the Commission alleges that X has failed to provide sufficient information about online ads, including both their content and the entity paying for their placement. This lack of transparency is seen as a breach of the DSA's requirements.
The EU also took issue with X's practices related to public data made available to qualifying researchers under the DSA. The Commission claims that these practices are overly restrictive, effectively undermining research into systemic risks in the European Union.
X has been given 60 working days to respond to the non-compliance decision and 90 days to submit an action plan outlining how it will address the alleged breaches. Failure to comply could result in further financial penalties.
The fine marks a significant step for the EU's Digital Services Act, which aims to regulate online platforms and ensure transparency and accountability. The move sends a clear message that companies must prioritize user trust and data openness to avoid facing hefty fines.
In a significant move, the European Commission has imposed a hefty fine of €120 million ($140 million) on Elon Musk's social media platform X, the company formerly known as Twitter. The EU's executive arm accused X of violating its transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA), specifically regarding the blue checkmarking verification system and advertising practices.
The Commission claimed that the removal of user verification for blue checks has created a risk of scams and impersonation fraud, making it difficult for users to determine the authenticity of accounts they engage with. The EU also argues that X's design features in its advertising repository make it challenging for legitimate actors and the general public to identify online ads and spot potential threats.
Furthermore, the Commission alleges that X has failed to provide sufficient information about online ads, including both their content and the entity paying for their placement. This lack of transparency is seen as a breach of the DSA's requirements.
The EU also took issue with X's practices related to public data made available to qualifying researchers under the DSA. The Commission claims that these practices are overly restrictive, effectively undermining research into systemic risks in the European Union.
X has been given 60 working days to respond to the non-compliance decision and 90 days to submit an action plan outlining how it will address the alleged breaches. Failure to comply could result in further financial penalties.
The fine marks a significant step for the EU's Digital Services Act, which aims to regulate online platforms and ensure transparency and accountability. The move sends a clear message that companies must prioritize user trust and data openness to avoid facing hefty fines.
Elon Musk got caught 
! I mean, who doesn't love a good blue check 
? But seriously, 140 million bucks is crazy 
. It's like, come on X 
, you gotta be more transparent about ads and data 
. Users deserve to know what they're clicking on 
. And researchers need that data to stay safe 
. EU got this 
! Transparency is key 
. Now let's see if Musk will comply 
. But €120 million? That's a lot of cash! 
. It's like, we want to let them have freedom, but we also want to protect them from harm 
. So, yeah, I'm all for this fine - hope Elon gets his act together and makes things right 
i feel like x got it coming tbh they did kinda ignore those transparency rules for a while and now the eu's finally calling them out on it 
but at the same time, can u imagine how hard it must be for them to balance free speech with keeping users safe from scams & impersonation? 
still, i think this fine is a good thing - like, we need more accountability in the online world and it's about time x started taking its transparency responsibilities seriously 
. I mean, who doesn't love a good ad, but come on! You gotta be able to spot a fake one from a mile away. It's like, X should be making it easier for users to see what's going on with online ads, not harder 
.
I mean, it's about making sure these platforms are doing right by their users and the public. So, yeah, I get why the EU would be all over X for this... but also, can we just talk about how much I loved Twitter back in the day? 
. I mean, think about it, Elon Musk is all about disrupting the status quo, but can't even figure out how to do that without breaking a few transparency rules 
If X wants users to trust their platform, they need to step up their verification game. I'm all for a little extra security, tbh 
.
.
what really gets me is how much of a risk scams and impersonation fraud pose 
. The EU needs to keep slapping these fines until companies start putting users first 
.