Elon Musk’s social media platform X has proposed changes to its verification system in the European Union after regulators ruled in December that the company’s “blue check” feature violated the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission said. The move comes as Brussels begins assessing whether the platform’s proposed fixes will bring it into compliance with the EU’s landmark digital regulation.
On 5 December 2025, the European Commission issued the first formal non-compliance decision under the Digital Services Act, imposing a €120m fine on X after concluding that the platform’s verification system could mislead users about the authenticity of accounts.
The Commission launched the investigation in December 2023 and found that X’s subscription-based blue checkmark allowed users to obtain verification badges without meaningful identity checks. EU officials say the company has now submitted proposed remedies to modify the system, which regulators are currently assessing, according to Reuters. Compliance may prevent additional penalties, but the original fine generally remains payable unless overturned on appeal.
EU enforcement decision
The Commission concluded that X’s verification design blurred the distinction between authenticated accounts and paid subscribers, undermining a signal historically used to confirm the identity of public figures, organisations and institutions.
“X’s use of the ‘blue checkmark’ for ‘verified accounts’ deceives users,” the European Commission said in its enforcement announcement last year.
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The ruling also identified additional breaches, including shortcomings in the platform’s advertising transparency repository and restrictions on access to data for approved researchers studying online risks. The decision marked the first major enforcement action under the Digital Services Act, the EU’s flagship regulation for large online platforms that came fully into force in 2024. Observers widely saw the case as the first major clash between the platform and the EU under the DSA.
Platform response
Under Musk’s ownership, X replaced the earlier verification system — granted to public figures and organisations following identity checks — with a subscription model tied to its premium service. The company has now submitted proposed changes addressing the blue-check verification feature. A European Commission spokesperson confirmed in March 2026 that regulators are reviewing those remedies to determine whether they bring the service into compliance with the Digital Services Act, Reuters reported.
Musk has previously defended the paid verification model as a way to reduce bots and spam on the platform. “Paid verification dramatically improves the signal-to-noise ratio,” Musk wrote when introducing the subscription system on X.
Civil society and watchdogs
Digital rights organisations and online safety watchdogs have broadly supported stronger enforcement of platform transparency and design rules. The European Digital Rights network (EDRi) warns that misleading credibility signals can undermine trust in online information ecosystems and increase impersonation risks.
The Mozilla Foundation says credibility indicators such as verification badges play a critical role in helping users evaluate the reliability of information online.
Campaign group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has also criticised paid verification systems, warning they may enable harassment, impersonation and misinformation by giving malicious actors credibility signals. Researchers studying online platforms also highlight the importance of verification signals in shaping how users interpret information. Analysts at the Oxford Internet Institute say credibility cues such as verification markers influence how audiences assess authority and trustworthiness in digital environments.
Why the case matters
The Digital Services Act represents one of the most ambitious regulatory frameworks globally for governing large digital platforms. The law requires so-called “Very Large Online Platforms” such as X, Meta and Google to assess and mitigate systemic risks including misinformation, deceptive interface design and algorithmic amplification, according to the European Commission.
By targeting X’s verification system, EU regulators signal that platform architecture itself — not just user content — can fall within the scope of digital regulation. As Brussels reviews the company’s proposed changes, the outcome could shape how social media platforms design verification systems and credibility signals across Europe’s digital market — and determine whether paid verification survives regulatory scrutiny.
