What you need to know:
- The EU executive’s initial charges against X focus on the company’s use of dark patterns to influence user behavior, transparency in advertising, and access to data for researchers.
- According to the Commission, X’s verified accounts, marked with a blue checkmark, deviate from industry norms and undermine users’ ability to discern the authenticity of accounts they engage with freely and knowingly.
European Union tech regulators ruled on Friday that Elon Musk’s social media platform X violated EU online content regulations, including deceiving users with its blue checkmark. This finding, issued by the European Commission under the Digital Services Act (DSA), marks the first charges after a seven-month investigation. The DSA mandates stricter actions from large online platforms and search engines to combat illegal content and safeguard public security, potentially leading to substantial fines and operational adjustments for X.
The EU executive’s initial charges against X focus on the company’s use of dark patterns to influence user behavior, transparency in advertising, and access to data for researchers.
X responded by disagreeing with the EU’s evaluation of its compliance with the DSA, while owner Elon Musk threatened legal action.
“We anticipate a highly visible court battle to ensure transparency for the people of Europe,” Musk stated on X.
Previously, Elon Musk claimed that the Commission had proposed an illicit secret agreement to censor speech without public disclosure, which X refused unlike unspecified other platforms.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton responded sharply, stating on X, “Feel free. There has never been — and will never be — any ‘secret deal’. With anyone. The DSA allows X (and all major platforms) the option to propose commitments to resolve a case.”
“Whether to offer commitments or not is your decision to make. This is how rule of law procedures operate. We’ll see you in court, or perhaps not,” remarked Breton.
According to the Commission, X’s verified accounts, marked with a blue checkmark, deviate from industry norms and undermine users’ ability to discern the authenticity of accounts they engage with freely and knowingly.
Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022, he modified the use of the blue checkmark. Previously indicating verified public figures, it was redefined to denote paid subscribers.
The Commission also criticized X for failing to comply with DSA requirements, including providing searchable and reliable information about advertisements in a publicly accessible library. Additionally, X faces accusations of restricting researchers’ access to its public data.
X now has several months to respond to these charges. If found guilty of breaching the DSA, the company could incur fines of up to 6% of its global turnover.
“X now has the opportunity to defend itself, but if our assessment is confirmed, we will enforce penalties and demand significant reforms,” Breton stated in a released statement.
The Commission also mentioned ongoing investigations into X concerning the dissemination of illegal content and measures taken to combat misinformation. Similar investigations are underway involving ByteDance’s TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta Platforms (META.O) under the DSA.
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