According to GSM Arena, the European Commission has fined X €120 million, which is roughly $140 million. The ruling, delivered today, concludes an investigation that began in 2024. The core finding is that X’s current blue checkmark system is deceptive because it implies verification, but anyone can pay for one without meaningful identity checks. The fine also covers major failures in X’s advertising repository, which lacks transparency and critical information, and for blocking researchers’ access to public data. X now has 60 working days to propose fixes for the blue checkmark issue and 90 days for the ad repository and data access problems. The EC’s Board of Digital Services will then review X’s action plan before a final decision is made.
Why this fine matters
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just a slap on the wrist for a quirky design choice. It’s the first major enforcement of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) against a “Very Large Online Platform,” and it sets a brutal precedent. The EU is basically saying that “deceptive design” isn’t just a dark pattern—it’s an illegal one when it misrepresents fundamental trust signals. Remember when a blue check meant a public figure or institution was who they said they were? Now it just means they have a credit card. And the EU has decided that’s a problem with real consequences, like enabling scams and misinformation.
The broader crackdown
But the checkmark is only part of the story. The fines for the ad repository and blocking researcher data are arguably the bigger deal for the platform’s health. The EC is calling out X for creating “excessive delays” and “unnecessary barriers” that “undermine the purpose” of these transparency tools. So what’s the real impact? Researchers and watchdogs can’t effectively track disinformation campaigns or coordinated inauthentic behavior. Advertisers and users can’t see who is really paying for political or controversial ads. It creates a black box. And in an election year? That’s a feature, not a bug, for some bad actors. The DSA was built to pry these boxes open, and X is the test case for whether that law has teeth.
What happens next for X
So, what does X do now? They can’t just write a check and move on. They have to submit detailed plans to fix these specific issues. Will they bring back actual verification? Probably not in the old form. But they might have to radically relabel or explain the paid checkmark, which guts its perceived value. More painfully, they’ll have to rebuild their ad and data systems to be genuinely transparent and accessible. That goes against the entire “walled garden” ethos that many social platforms operate under. I think the next few months will be a fascinating tug-of-war between X’s desire for control and the EU’s demand for accountability. One thing’s for sure: other platforms are watching this very, very closely.
