The EU fines 'X' 5% of its global turnover for verified accounts

BrusselsDespite pressure from Donald Trump, the European Union continues to enforce its Digital Services Directive against major US tech companies. Brussels announced on Friday that it has imposed a €120 million fine on the social network 'X' – formerly Twitter – for violating EU legislation, an amount that represents approximately 5% of the global revenue of Elon Musk's company. Specifically, Brussels decided to fine the social network €45 million for its account verification system, which is no longer based on factors such as popularity or public influence, but can be obtained simply by paying a monthly fee. In this regard, sources at the European Commission indicate that some actors, particularly politicians, abuse the false notoriety that a verified account provides, even when there is no real person behind the username.

It's worth remembering that the European Commission has also investigated and criticized on several occasions Musk's collusion with political actors, which the EU executive considers interference, especially during election periods. The most controversial case was in the last German federal elections, in which Musk openly supported the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Beyond verified accounts, Brussels has fined TikTok €35 million for a lack of transparency in its advertising repositories. This includes the types of ads displayed on the social network, information about whether the content is paid or not, whether it uses user information such as age, location, or interests, and the advertising formats.

Finally, the European Commission has also imposed a €40 million fine on Musk's company for the lack of access that public and regulatory authorities have to the social network's data and algorithms. In fact, the magnate has consistently refused to cooperate with Brussels and, therefore, to restructure TikTok's operations, comply with EU regulations, and avoid the fine, which by law could not exceed 6% of the company's global revenue.

TikTok does its homework and avoids the fine

Musk's company's attitude contrasts sharply with that of the Chinese social network TikTok, which has cooperated with EU authorities to comply with European Union regulations and avoid potential financial penalties. The European Commission asserts that the Asian company has committed to deploying advertising repositories that "guarantee maximum transparency" and "comply" with the European blog's Digital Services Act. "Following extensive dialogue with the European Commission, TikTok has submitted binding commitments that address all the concerns raised by the Commission in its investigation," reads the statement issued by the EU executive. The European Commission reiterates that EU legislation requires platforms to maintain an "accessible and searchable" repository of the advertisements displayed on their social networks. "These repositories are essential for regulators, researchers, and civil society to detect scams, advertisements for illegal or age-inappropriate products, fake advertisements, and coordinated information operations, including in the context of elections," Brussels adds.