EU Commission fines X €120m under Digital Services Act for multiple breaches
The European Commission has fined X €120 million for three breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), marking the first non-compliance decision against the platform since the law came into force in 2023. The investigation was opened in December 2023.
The fines include €45 million for deceptive advertising related to the buyable blue tick, €35 million for failures in ad transparency regulations, and €40 million for breaches in providing data access to researchers. The DSA requires platforms to publish a public list of advertisers and maintain an accessible ad repository to help researchers detect scams and illegal ads.
Under the DSA, X could face penalties up to 6% of its worldwide revenue; the company's 2024 revenue was estimated between $2.5 billion and $2.7 billion. X has 90 days to submit an action plan to address the ruling and reserves the right to appeal to the European Court of Justice.
Beyond this ruling, the EU is conducting three other investigations into X concerning content management, algorithm changes following Elon Musk's takeover, and mechanisms for reporting illegal content. This decision comes amid broader tensions between EU and US technology regulators and may further strain transatlantic relations regarding oversight of American tech platforms.
