European Commission: Blue Tick on 'X' Platform Misleading and Violates Social Media Regulations

The European Commission states that the blue tick on the social media platform 'X', formerly Twitter, misleads users and does not comply with transparency and accountability regulations. This is the first case of the Commission's indictment based on its new regulations known as the 'Digital Services Act' against a major technology company. The 'Digital Services Act' is a set of regulations aimed at protecting the privacy and rights of citizens in the 27 EU member states and preventing the dissemination of illegal and harmful content on social media. Violations of these regulations can result in heavy fines. The Commission's responsible bodies announced at the end of a lengthy investigation into the activities of the 'X' social network that the blue tick, which was apparently launched to verify the identity of some users, represents a 'pattern and method of opacity' that does not align with proper management practices for communication platforms and can be exploited by harmful actors for deceptive purposes. Before Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, this blue mark was only given to accounts of prominent users, such as politicians, journalists, and celebrities, but Mr. Musk decided to grant the blue tick to users who pay eight dollars a month by abolishing this method. The European Commission states that because anyone can receive this verification mark, it negatively impacts the free and informed decisions of other users in assessing the credibility of the mark holder and the accuracy of the content they publish. Additionally, the Commission has accused the X platform of obstructing researchers' access to data and employing opaque methods regarding commercial advertisement information. Elon Musk responded to these accusations in a combative tone on X, stating, 'The European Commission offered us an illegal and secret deal, saying that if we secretly censor content, we would not be fined. Other platforms accepted this deal. X did not.' He then threatened the European Commission with legal action, stating that by doing so, the people of the EU would understand the truth behind this ruling and case. Thierry Breton, the EU Internal Market Commissioner, stated that in the past, the blue tick was used for credible sources, but in our view, this mark has become a tool for deceiving users under the new operational method of the X social network and violates the EU's Digital Services Act. Furthermore, he accused the X social network of violating regulations regarding transparency in managing and publishing advertisements. According to the 'Digital Services Act', online platforms, including social networks, are required to publish all data related to commercial advertisements, including the names of payers and the intended audiences for the advertisements. The European Commission states that the information related to advertisements on X is not verifiable and reliable, and deliberate barriers have been created that make access to information and, consequently, transparency impossible. Another accusation pertains to the barriers present in the X data system for researchers' access to how this social network operates. According to EU regulations, this information must be easily accessible to researchers. The X company has the opportunity to implement the legally required requests of the European Commission by making changes to its operational methods. Otherwise, the European Commission could fine this social network up to six percent of its annual profits and order all requested changes to be implemented. The announcement of these accusations is part of the results of the European Commission's investigations. Investigations into X's performance in preventing the dissemination of illegal content, including promoting terrorism and spreading hate, as well as how it deals with the dissemination of manipulated and misleading information, are ongoing.