Elon Musk's X Faces EU Charges: Breach of Digital Services Act Threatens Hefty Fines

Elon Musk's social media company X is accused by EU regulators of breaching online content rules under the Digital Services Act. The charges involve deceptive user practices, advertising transparency, and data access issues. X could face significant fines and operational changes if found guilty.

Elon Musk's social media company X has been accused of violating European Union online content rules, with allegations that its blue checkmark system deceives users. The European Commission's charges follow a seven-month investigation and fall under the new Digital Services Act (DSA). This law mandates large online platforms to address illegal content and public security risks.

The preliminary findings target X's usage of 'dark patterns' to influence user behavior, lack of advertising transparency, and restrictions on data access for researchers. While X disputes these claims, Musk has threatened legal action, arguing that the EU attempted to make an 'illegal secret deal' to censor speech, which X declined.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton responded firmly, emphasizing that no secret deal was offered by the EU, and suggesting that X either offers commitments to resolve the issues or faces legal proceedings. If X is found guilty, it could face fines up to 6% of its global turnover. Ongoing investigations also focus on the dissemination of illegal content on X and its counter-disinformation efforts.