EU fines X €120M for misleading blue checkmarks, hidden ads; Musk says ‘bullshit’

The European Commission fined X 120 million euros on Friday for violating the Digital Services Act, citing misleading blue checkmarks, a nontransparent ads repository and blocked researcher access to public data. Elon Musk reacted on X with one word: “Bullshit.”

The Commission said X deceived users by selling blue checkmarks without verifying identities, exposing them to impersonation scams. Regulators also found that X’s ad repository lacks required details — including ad content, topic and paying entity — and includes design barriers that hinder scrutiny of scams and influence operations. Officials said X further broke the law by refusing researchers independent access to public data and creating unnecessary procedural obstacles.

Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said: “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU… With the DSA’s first non-compliance decision, we are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability.”

X has 60 working days to explain how it will stop deceptive blue checkmarks and 90 days to file an action plan on ad transparency and researcher access. Failure to comply could lead to additional penalty payments as the EU continues broader investigations into the platform.