Overview
- The Commission found X violated transparency duties by converting blue checks into a paid feature that could mislead users, maintaining an opaque ads repository, and limiting data access for qualified researchers.
- X has 60 days to remedy the violations or face significantly higher penalties, with the DSA allowing fines up to 6% of global annual turnover for noncompliance or repeat offenses.
- Other EU probes into X’s handling of illegal content and disinformation continue and were not resolved by Friday’s decision.
- U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized the move, while EU executive Henna Virkkunen said the case is about transparency, not censorship, and France voiced support for the decision.
- Brussels described the €120 million fine as proportionate and highlighted broader DSA enforcement activity, including accepted transparency commitments from TikTok in a separate action.