X’s blue checkmarks are deceptive, rules EU
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Photo: Getty Images
The European Union has warned X that its blue checkmark verification system violates rules under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), finding it to be deceptive for users and against established industry practices. Following its investigation into the platform, the EU also found that X is failing to comply with transparency obligations regarding advertising and providing public data to researchers.
It’s the first time a company has been formally accused of breaching the DSA under the EU’s so-called preliminary findings. X now has the opportunity to defend itself in response.
In its press release, the EU says that changes made to X’s blue check system — which allows any user to pay to be “verified” — prevent users from determining the...