March 12 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's social media company X has agreed to change its verification mechanism in the European Union following a fine of 120 million euros, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday
Musk's X submits remedies relating to its blue check mark, EU spokesperson says
EU Fines and X's Response to Blue Checkmark Verification
March 13 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's social media platform X has submitted remedies in relation to its blue checkmark verification feature following a fine of 120 million euros ($137.63 million), a European Commission spokesperson said on Friday.
EU tech regulators fined X in December for breaching online content rules, the first such action under a landmark legislation that drew criticism from the U.S. government.
Details of the Blue Checkmark Controversy
Here are the details:
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Assessment of Proposed Remedies
The Commission will now carefully assess the proposed remedies, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier added, without giving details.
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X's Immediate Response
X did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
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Background of the EU Action
Digital Services Act Investigation
The EU action against X had followed a two-year-long investigation under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.
Charges Against X
The European Commission in July 2024 had charged X with deceiving users, saying that the blue checkmark does not correspond to industry practices and that anyone can pay to get a "verified" status.
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Changes to Verification Mechanism
Bloomberg News first reported on Thursday that X has agreed to change its verification mechanism in the European Union.
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Evolution of the Blue Checkmark
The blue checkmark had previously indicated that an account belonged to a public figure whose identity was verified, but Musk changed it to indicate it belonged to a paid subscriber after acquiring X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.8719 euros)
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Angela Christy; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Harikrishnan Nair)
