Why did European Union fine X €120mln?

CALIFORNIA: The European Union has imposed a €120 million fine on the social media platform X owned by Elon Musk.

According to the European Commission, X misled users with the “misleading” design of its blue verification badges. These badges were converted into a paid feature in 2022 following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company.

The Commission had asked the company to provide a clear list of advertisers to ensure transparency during deceptive practices, fake ads, and political campaigns. However, X failed to comply. In addition, the platform did not provide public data to researchers as required.

The fine comes after a two-year investigation under the EU Digital Services Act, but investigations are still ongoing to prevent illegal content and misleading information.