After a two-year inquiry, the European Commission fined Elon Musk’s social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, €120 million on Friday for the first violation under its historic Digital Services Act.
The blue checkmark, which was once used to indicate official accounts at no cost but is now sold for €7 a month, is at the center of the investigation and runs the danger of misleading users about the authenticity of identities.
According to the Commission, an account with a checkmark under the new X settings might be a bot rather than a legitimate person. Consequently, it decided to impose a monetary fine for violating the EU’s DSA regulations.
The Commission contended that because it is unknown where the claims originated, users and authorities are unable to obtain an updated record of advertisers on the website, which may also cause issues during election campaigns. The Commission also chastised X for failing to provide researchers with information on likes and views, even though the DSA requires it.
According to a Commission official, the fine’s size is determined by “proportionality.” The sum is determined by calculating that the breach of data access for researchers should be penalized at €40 million, the blue checkmark infringement at €45 million, and the absence of access to the advertising register at €35 million.
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