Elon Musk’s social media platform,
This is the first major penalty imposed under this landmark legislation.
On Friday, the European Commission announced the fine, citing several violations by X, including misleading platform features and a lack of transparency in research practices.
Regulators noted that one of the violations involved the misleading design of the blue check mark. This feature is now linked to subscription payments rather than identity validation, which the EU described as “misleading and potentially harmful.”
The Commission also criticized X for failing to maintain transparent advertising records and for restricting researchers’ access to publicly available data on the platform.
This ruling is likely to increase diplomatic tensions between Brussels and Washington. US officials in the Trump administration had previously condemned Europe’s regulatory approach towards major tech companies, alleging that EU policies unfairly target US companies and restrict freedom of expression.
However, the European Commission defended its position by stating that the application of the DSA is not influenced by nationality. They emphasized that the legislation is designed to promote online responsibility, protect users and ensure transparency in digital operations, standards that are increasingly becoming global benchmarks.
“The DSA does not discriminate based on company origin,” the Commission argued, maintaining that the sanctions reflect Europe’s commitment to protecting democratic values and responsible digital governance.
The fine marks an important test case for the new EU regulatory regime and could set a precedent for similar actions against other platforms that do not fully comply with the law.
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