The European Commission has fined Facebook Inc. for misleading users by allowing anyone to buy a blue checkmark for a fee. The US has been outraged by the decision.
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European Union regulators have ordered Elon Musk's social media company, X, to pay a fine of 120 million euros ($140 million) for failing to comply with its digital laws, the European Commission said on Friday after a two-year investigation.
The Commission has found that X has violated three different provisions under the ‘Digital Services Act’, which applies to 27 European Union countries. International media outlets have reported that the large fine has been imposed for not complying with the transparency provisions mandated by the act. This is the first time the Union has decided to take such action against a technology company since the act was implemented in 2022.
This decision by the European Commission is expected to increase tensions between Europe and the United States. The US President and his administration have been criticizing European countries and countries with digital service regulations in particular. US President Donald Trump has accused various countries of unfairly targeting American technology companies and distorting various aspects of international trade through provisions such as the digital services tax.
Trump has even warned that he will retaliate if European countries target American technology companies. Vice President JD Vance criticized the European Commission for its decision to fine X because it did not accept censorship. “The European Union should support freedom of expression instead of unnecessarily harassing American companies,” Vance wrote on his X account.
The Commission responded to the media that it had no intention of pressuring big tech companies or silencing users. “The Commission did not target anyone, it did not target any company, it did not target any company based on its color or a company from a certain country,” spokesman Thomas Regnier said at a press conference in Brussels. “This decision-making process is based on a democratic process.”
The Commission said the decision to fine X was made public because of the ambiguity in the process related to X’s blue checkmark, or verified account. The commission claims that the blue checkmark is designed to be deceptive and could deceive and mislead users.
In 2022, Musk bought Twitter and made it possible to buy the blue checkmark for $8 per month. Before that, only famous people and celebrities could get such a checkmark. The commission said in a letter that it has become difficult to identify the authenticity of accounts and the content posted on them since the checkmark can be purchased by paying money. The commission took action against the company for failing to provide a database of its advertisers and cooperating with researchers studying scams and fake ads.
