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Elon Musk's X proposes verification fix to resolve €120M EU dispute, report

FILE - Elon Musk attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.
FILE - Elon Musk attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026. Copyright  AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File
Copyright AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File
By Pascale Davies
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Europe's move sparked a diplomatic dispute between Brussels and Washington.

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has agreed to change its user verification system in the European Union following a €120 million fine last year, according to a report that cited European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier.

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Bloomberg reported that the X had proposed solutions for the blue checkmark, which is used to verify accounts.

The European Commission fined X for violating its Digital Services Act in December, saying that the paid verification system, introduced after Elon Musk purchased Twitter in 2022, could mislead users by creating the impression that verified accounts are reliable.

The Commission also argued that users and authorities cannot access an updated register of advertisers on the site, which could also be problematic during election campaigns, as the origin of the claims is unclear.

The EU decision means the company must either pay the fine or provide a financial guarantee.

The move sparked a diplomatic dispute between Brussels and Washington, with representatives of Donald Trump's administration accusing the European Union of censorship.

Euronews Next has reached out to X and the European Commission for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

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