Particle.news
Download on the App Store

EU Fines X €120 Million Under Digital Services Act Over Transparency Breaches

The ruling is the Commission’s first DSA enforcement action, setting a precedent for platform data access and ad disclosure.

Overview

  • The penalty targets three failures: misleading paid checkmarks (€45 million), restricted researcher access (€40 million), and insufficient ad transparency (€35 million).
  • X has 60 working days to outline remedies or face escalation under the law, and the company can contest the decision in EU courts.
  • Elon Musk attacked the move on X, calling for the EU to be abolished and alleging censorship, as US officials including JD Vance and Marco Rubio criticized Brussels.
  • Additional EU investigations into X’s handling of illegal content, misinformation and algorithmic practices remain open and could lead to further measures.
  • Separately, the Commission closed an ad-transparency case against TikTok after binding commitments, highlighting differing outcomes across platforms.