The European Commission just hit X – the social media platform also known as Twitter – with a major €120 million ($130+ million) penalty. That adds up to approximately $140 million. Of note, the commission ruled that X’s blue checkmark verification system is misleading to users and harmful. Consequently, users are left open to impersonation and the risk of being scammed. Most recently, in October 2023, the platform incurred a record fine and had its paid advertising proscribed for disseminating election misinformation. In particular, this action emphasizes the deepening regulatory scrutiny of online platforms within Europe.
As part of the ruling, X has 60 days to respond to the commission’s complaints about its fraudulent blue checkmark system. Further, the firm must answer claims of advertising transparency breaches within a timeframe of 90 days. The commission has shown its hand. It describes the verification system as “deceptive” and says it erodes user trust.
Nikita Bier, a former tech reporter at Adweek and senior editor at VentureBeat, expressed her views on the situation, stating, “As you may be aware, X believes everyone should have an equal voice on our platform.” Beyond that, her overarching complaint was with the way in which the platform handled the new verification process.
“However, it seems you believe that the rules should not apply to your account.” – Nikita Bier
The European Commission has used tools not available to corporate accounts on X, like tracking an account’s compliance through their corporate dashboard. According to a spokesperson for the commission, that was exactly what they wanted to do.
“The Commission is simply using the tools that platforms themselves are making available to our corporate accounts — this was the case with the ‘Post Composer’ tool in X,” – European Commission spokesperson
From the moment Elon Musk took ownership of X, he has made his disdain for regulators abundantly clear. He recently questioned the future of the European Union itself, tweeting, “How long before the EU is gone? AbolishTheEU.” This skepticism shows a larger trend of skepticism toward government regulation of social media platforms.
Nikita has deep roots in thoughtful journalism and storytelling, and platforms for content. Her previous positions as vice president of content at a venture capital firm and as a local government reporter for the Hollister Free Lance make her an authoritative resource on this topic. Her experience illustrates the tension that any platform faces in balancing integrity with safety and security.
