X blocks European Commission ads after €120m EU fine over blue-tick system
X has blocked the European Commission from running adverts on its platform after the Commission was fined €120m under the EU Digital Services Act due to issues with X's blue-tick verification system.
EU regulators criticized X's blue-tick system as deceptive because it does not meaningfully verify users, and highlighted concerns about a lack of advertising transparency and limited access for researchers to public data.
The European Commission gave X 60 days to respond to these concerns or face additional penalties.
X executive Nikita Bier stated that the European Commission attempted to exploit an advertising loophole to amplify a post about the fine, leading to the termination of the EC's ad account on the platform.
The European Commission emphasized that its use of platform tools by corporate accounts should comply with both the platform's terms and conditions and the EU's legal framework.
This fine represents the first penalty issued to X under the EU Digital Services Act, with the fine being announced on a Friday.
The dispute reflects similar regulatory actions faced by X, including Brazil’s 2024 settlement of 28 million reais and Australia’s 2023 penalty of A$610,000 for non-cooperation with safety investigations.
Following the fine, Elon Musk criticized the EU publicly on X, while US officials including Senator Rubio and the FCC accused the EU of attacking or censoring US firms.
