The European Commission said on March 13 that X, the social platform owned by Elon Musk, has submitted a remediation plan addressing its paid “blue tick” verification after being found non-compliant with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
In December 2025 the Commission issued the first-ever non-compliance decision under the DSA, fining X €120 million. The decision accused X of turning verification into a simple pay-for-status feature that is misleading by design, of failing to make its advertising library sufficiently transparent and accessible, and of denying eligible researchers public access to platform data as required by the law.
Thomas Renié, the Commission’s spokesman responsible for digital affairs, said the submission relates only to the blue-tick issue; the Commission will now evaluate whether X’s proposed fixes are adequate before deciding on further measures. For the two remaining breaches—ad-library transparency and researcher access—X must submit corrective plans no later than April 28, the spokesman added.
X announced in February that it had appealed the fine to the EU General Court but, the Commission stressed, the company is still required to pay the sanction by March 16. The dual track of legal challenge and continuing enforcement underscores the Commission’s intention to keep regulatory pressure on large platforms even while judges consider appeals.
The row over the blue tick is more than a cosmetic spat about logos. Regulators worry that converting verification into a paid product undermines trust and increases the risk of impersonation and misinformation on a platform that remains central to public discourse. The ad-library findings and closed researcher access go to the heart of the DSA’s goals: stronger transparency and accountability for online intermediaries whose services can amplify disinformation and manipulate public debate.
The outcome of the Commission’s assessment of X’s remedial plan will matter beyond one platform. If Brussels accepts a credible fix, it will signal that commercial features can be reconciled with DSA rules; if it rejects the proposal or demands more penalties, it will establish a tougher precedent for platforms that monetise verification or resist data access and advertising transparency requirements. Either way, the episode is likely to shape how global tech firms balance product decisions with regulatory demands from the EU and other jurisdictions watching closely.