EU fines X $140m, tied to verification rules that make impostor scams easier

The European Commission fined social networking company X €120 million ($140 million) last week for lack of transparency with its European users, the first penalty under the EU’s Digital Services Act. According to the European Commission, the fine addressed three violations: a deceptive blue checkmark system that did not meaningfully verify account ownership, restricted researchers’ access to public data, and a lack of transparency around X’s advertising records.

Before Musk took over and renamed the platform X, verification relied on institutional emails to prove identities; now blue checkmarks can be obtained for $8 a month by accounts active for 30 days. The commission said the weaker verification makes impostor accounts more difficult to assess for authenticity. X has 60 working days to address the checkmark violations and 90 days for advertising and researcher access, with potential further penalties under the DSA for non-compliance.

The article notes that the core issue remains that a verified checkmark can still be bought with weak verification, inviting users to question authenticity.