Hyderabad: The European Commission has fined social media platform X €120 million for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). This marks the first penalty issued under the new law. The EU Commission said X broke key rules on user safety, misinformation control and content transparency.
The DSA requires major platforms to remove illegal content, limit disinformation and verify users. However, the Commission found that X failed to meet these standards. As a result, the platform struggled to detect fake accounts and trace false or harmful posts. The penalty sets an important precedent for all 27 EU member states.
A major concern involved X’s paid verification system. Users can now buy a blue tick for $8 a month. Earlier, only public figures or verified individuals received the badge. The Commission said the new system created confusion and weakened content authenticity.
EU cites data access barriers and misinformation risks
The Commission also criticised X for blocking meaningful data access for researchers. This obstruction made it harder to study misinformation trends and fake advertising campaigns. Technical limits further restricted independent analysts from assessing how content spreads on the platform.
EU Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen said misleading users with paid badges, hiding ad information and restricting researcher access were unacceptable in the Union.
