EU fines Elon Musk’s X 120 million euros for DSA violations

Brussels – Failure to provide access to public data, irregularities in the management of advertising archives, and weak policies in terms of combating “fake” accounts: at the end of the checks initiated over a year ago, the European Commission finds violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) by X (formerly Twitter). It imposes a EUR 120 million fine on the popular platform. In Brussels, they specify that the fine amount is not calculated on the company’s total turnover but on the nature of the infringements. That is to say, the Commission services have verified the seriousness of the actions and their duration. Moreover, they recall that “the DSA does not require the imposition of percentage fines, but proportional fines” for unlawful behaviour. 

The Commission found three shortcomings in the Elon Musk-owned company. The first concerns the fact that third parties cannot access X’s public data, thereby preventing analysis of that information, a restriction punished with a 40 million euro fine. The second finding made by the EU executive concerns X’s advertising archives, which were allegedly used to produce targeted ads in violation of the rules without explaining how targeted advertising is determined. For this policy, considered a breach of transparency obligations under the DSA, a 35 million euro fine was imposed. Finally, the “blue checkmark” mechanism used to certify the identity of the people behind the accounts on X: for the European Commission, the system itself “makes it difficult to understand what it really is.” Additionally,  the Commission contests the fact that “anyone can pay to obtain the ‘verified’ status without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account.” Another violation of transparency requirements, which was fined 45 million euros. The three fines total 120 million euros. 

The decision taken in Brussels marks a new chapter in the clash between the EU and X owner Elon Musk, the multi‑billionaire already embroiled in tensions and direct confrontations. The action taken against the US platform is also part of the broader confrontation between the EU and the Trump administration, with the US president putting pressure on European rules on digital services, on which the EU, for now, seems to be holding its ground.

“We are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability,” cuts short Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU”.