The European Union (EU) has determined that social media giant X’s paid blue tick verification practice is against the law. This decision draws attention as part of the EU’s strict regulations on social media platforms.
The previous year, after Elon Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal, a series of changes were made to the platform. The most notable of these changes was the introduction of a paid Twitter blue tick verification system. Users could verify their accounts by obtaining a blue tick as part of a Twitter Blue subscription. However, this led to many users being misled and created chaos in the social media environment.
Blue tick sales and the EU’s Digital Services Act
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) requires social media companies to protect their users from misleading content. The law aims to ensure transparency and prevent the spread of fake content on social media platforms. Twitter’s paid blue tick sale has been criticised for violating these obligations. EU officials say the paid verification system makes it harder for users to question the authenticity of accounts and exposes them to misleading information.
According to the Financial Times, EU authorities concluded in preliminary findings of an investigation launched last year that the decision to sell blue ticks following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter misled millions of users. This is seen as a serious problem because it negatively impacts social media users’ ability to assess the authenticity of accounts.
Penalties facing X
Companies that breach the EU’s Digital Services Act could face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover, which is expected to be a significant financial liability for X. X can appeal these findings, but if the appeal is rejected, it will have to pay a hefty fine.
Elon Musk’s changes after purchasing Twitter have drastically changed the platform’s user base and impact on advertisers. Advertisers have lost trust in Twitter due to the platform’s broken verification system and the rise of fake accounts. This has led to a significant drop in X’s ad revenue.