The European Commission today issued its decision on the investigation into Platform
This decision came after the Commission found that the blue verification mark is misleading, as it suggests that the account is verified, while any user can obtain it by simply paying, without any real verification of the identity of the account holder.
This violates the requirements of the European Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to prevent misleading interface design.
The fine also included the failure of the
The Commission stressed that transparent and easy-to-search advertising repositories are essential for researchers and civil society organizations, because of their role in detecting fraud, information attacks, and systematic campaigns.
The Commission also noted that The repository also lacks important data, such as the subject of the advertisement, its content, and the legal entity funding it.
In addition, the Commission accuses Platform X of not providing researchers with adequate access to its public data, which is a fundamental obligation within the Digital Services Act.
The platform’s terms of use prevent qualified researchers from independently accessing this data, including through scraping, while imposing measures that hinder researchers’ work and limit their ability to study digital risks within the European Union.
The Commission has given Platform
After receiving the action plan from
