X Platform Faces 120 Million Euros Penalty Over DSA Compliance Failures

The European Commission has handed down a significant enforcement action against X, imposing a fine of 120 million euros for multiple violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The decision marks the first formal non-compliance ruling under the EU’s sweeping digital regulation framework.

Core Violations Identified

The Commission identified three primary areas of non-compliance. First, X’s implementation of the ‘blue checkmark’ system employs design elements that deceive users about account verification status, directly contradicting DSA prohibitions on deceptive design practices. Second, the platform’s advertising repository lacks adequate transparency and accessibility features, with artificial barriers—including processing delays—that undermine researcher access to ad data. Third, X has failed to grant researchers sufficient access to its public data, including through scraping capabilities, thereby obstructing systematic study of potential risks affecting the EU’s digital ecosystem.

Investigation Background and Enforcement Timeline

The Commission initiated formal proceedings in December 2023 to examine whether X breached DSA requirements in handling illegal content and managing information manipulation risks. That investigation remains ongoing. The current enforcement decision focuses specifically on the three compliance failures outlined above.

Mandatory Compliance Actions

X faces differentiated deadlines for remediation. The platform must notify the Commission within 60 working days regarding specific measures to eliminate deceptive blue checkmark practices (Article 25 of the DSA). For advertising repository and researcher data access violations (Articles 39 and 40), X has 90 working days to submit a comprehensive action plan detailing corrective steps.

The Board of Digital Services will review X’s action plan within one month and provide an opinion; the Commission will then have an additional month to issue final guidance and establish a reasonable implementation timeline. Should X fail to comply with the enforcement decision, the Commission may impose periodic penalty payments.

Broader Context

The Commission emphasized that the fine calculation reflects the severity of these infringements, their scope across affected EU users, and their duration. The agency stated it will continue engaging with X to secure compliance with this decision and DSA obligations more broadly. This enforcement action signals the Commission’s commitment to ensuring digital platforms meet transparency and data access standards across the EU market.