EU Accuses Musk's X of Misleading Users with Paid Verification

European Commission's investigation finds X's blue checkmarks deceive users and violate Digital Services Act

X's paid verification system allows anyone to get a blue checkmark, undermining trust in account authenticity.
The European Commission cites evidence of malicious actors exploiting the verification system to deceive users.
X is also accused of failing to provide adequate advertising transparency and blocking researchers from accessing data.
Elon Musk claims the EU offered a secret deal to avoid fines in exchange for censorship, which the EU denies.
If found in breach, X could face fines up to 6% of its global annual turnover and be forced to make significant changes.