Overview
- The Commission concluded X’s paid blue check misleads users by signaling a verified identity behind accounts.
- Regulators said X lacks a public ads database and denies accredited researchers access to effectively public data, hindering scrutiny of fraud, political ads and platform effects.
- The penalty totals €120 million, broken out as €45 million for verification design, €40 million for the missing ads repository and €35 million for blocked researcher access, roughly 5% of X’s 2024 revenue.
- X must submit proposed fixes within 60 days or face possible periodic fines, while separate investigations into recommendation systems and illegal‑content reporting remain open.
- The move came as U.S. officials pressed the EU to ease digital rules in trade talks, a push Brussels rejected as it defended its regulatory authority.