Verification badge

words.The European Commission fined Elon Musk’s platform X €120 million for a deceptive blue‑verification badge, opaque advertising data, and denying researcher access, citing Digital Services Act breaches. Musk responded with hostile remarks, urging EU abolition, while U.S. officials condemned the penalty as regulatory overreach. X must submit a verification remedial plan within 60 days and address ad‑repository transparency within 90 days, facing further penalties for non‑compliance. The fine highlights mounting EU regulation, forcing X to revamp its identity‑management and ad‑tech systems, with broader trade‑policy ramifications.

words.The EU has fined X (formerly Twitter) €120 million for breaching the Digital Services Act, citing a misleading blue verification badge, an opaque advertising repository, and denial of researcher access to public data. X has 60 days to redesign the check‑mark UI and 90 days to overhaul its ads API and provide secure data endpoints, or face additional penalties. The sanction coincides with an EU antitrust probe of Meta and highlights the bloc’s tough stance on “big tech,” prompting X to address compliance, advertiser trust, and technical challenges quickly.