European regulators have accused Elon Musk’s platform X of breaching the Digital Services Act, alleging the platform misleads users and engages in several other violations.
Margrethe Vestager, a senior official at the European Commission, announced preliminary findings indicating that X fails to comply with transparency requirements. The platform allegedly uses “dark patterns” to deceive users, does not maintain an adequate ad repository, and restricts access to data for researchers.
The EU highlighted concerns over X’s verification system, stating it misleads users by allowing anyone to obtain a “verified” status. Evidence suggests that this blue check is being exploited by malicious actors to create confusion among users.
Should these preliminary findings be substantiated, X could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
Thierry Breton, another senior Commission official, remarked, “Blue checks used to signify trustworthy sources; now they mislead users and violate the DSA.”
The Digital Services Act, effective since August, prohibits “dark patterns,” which manipulate user choices regarding data sharing. This investigation follows inquiries initiated by EU officials last year amid rising concerns over Hamas-affiliated accounts on the platform after the October 7 attacks against Israel.
The EU is also examining X’s content moderation practices to determine compliance with regulations against the spread of illegal content and misinformation.
