EU accepts X fix after €120 million DSA fine

The European Union said Wednesday it has accepted a plan from Elon Musk’s X to address digital-content violations that triggered a 120 million euros ($138 million) penalty. The European Commission issued that fine in December 2025, marking the first enforcement penalty under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

According to the Commission, X had breached transparency rules, used a deceptive design for its blue checkmark system for supposedly verified accounts, and failed to give researchers access to public data. X has since changed the blue check label from “verified” to “premium” users.

Under the approved plan, X will expand researchers' access, including access to ad content, and ensure timely responses. Thomas Regnier, the European Commission’s spokesman on digital issues, said the measures are “an important step in the right direction.”

“The approved measures will enable researchers, civil society and the general public to gain more transparency into X’s systems and the impact on users.”

X now has six months to implement the measures, which will be checked through an external, independent audit. The agreement does not stop X’s appeal against the fine, filed in February.

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The case sits inside a broader transatlantic clash over EU tech rules. The U.S. tech industry and the Trump administration have pushed back on European regulation, with U.S. President Donald Trump calling the X fine censorship. A few weeks later, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions on five individuals, including former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton.

The Commission has still not finished the wider probe into X that it opened in 2023. It also launched a separate investigation at the start of the year into Grok over the generation of sexualized deepfake images of women and minors.