The EU has warned X CEO Elon Musk the ‘blue tick’ identification policy ‘deceives users’.
EU tech regulators ruled yesterday that Mr Musk's social media company breached European Union online content rules.
Irish Independent Tech Editor Adrian Weckler explained since Mr Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it, the blue tick feature has transformed.
“It was supposed to indicate that the user was verified, that there was somebody that the company had checked out,” he told The Anton Savage Show.
“The idea was that when you saw somebody with a blue tick that was tweeting away or posting away, you knew there was a certain amount of authenticity and credibility.
“Now what's happened was when Elon Musk bought Twitter, he decided, ‘No, don't like this system’.”
Mr Weckler explained Mr Musk thought blue ticks were “elitist” and “set up for lords” - so he began to allow people to buy blue ticks for their accounts.
“But what happened then was a lot of people, a lot of scammers and spammers started to buy them,” he said.
“If you go on X these days, you'll see a lot of blue ticks who are grifters who are trying to make money.”
Twitter changed the logo of the application to X. Image: Twitter NewsUnder the new Digital Services Act, the EU found that this system is “a bit of a crock”.
“It deceives users,” Mr Weckler said. “It doesn't mean that people are who they say they are and actually, it's kind of dangerous.”
Following this ruling, X now faces a potential fine.
X vs the EU
Other companies already in the crossfire of the DSA include TikTok, which the EU is investigating for endangering minors due to its “addictive design” and lack of comprehensive age verification.
If TikTok is charged by the EU, it could be fined up to 6% of its global revenue – a fate X might also face.
Mr Musk has defended X’s blue tick system – calling the DSA “misinformation”.
He accused the European Commission of offering X an “illegal secret deal” to “quietly censor” information on the platform.
The DSA was originally published in 2022 and came into effect this year to address disinformation and illegal content online.
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