Elon Musk's social media platform X is in breach of the European Union’s online content law, according to preliminary findings by regulators that could lead to hefty fines for the company. The European Commission announced that X is violating the Digital Services Act in areas related to “dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers." The investigation uncovered that X engages in practices that deceive users. The company was found to misuse its “blue checkmark” in a manner inconsistent with industry standards, negatively impacting users' ability to discern the authenticity of accounts and content. The commission highlighted that malicious actors exploit the 'verified account' to deceive users. X was also found to lack transparency in advertising, failing to provide a searchable and reliable advertisement repository. Furthermore, the platform did not grant independent access to public data to researchers as required by the DSA, dissuading researchers from accessing the application programming interface (API). In response to the commission's announcement, Musk accused them of offering X an illegal secret deal, implying that the company would avoid fines by quietly censoring speech. Musk asserted that while other platforms accepted this deal, X did not comply. The company now has the opportunity to review the findings and submit a formal response. European Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized that if the violations are confirmed, fines of up to 6 percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover could be imposed. Additionally, the commission may enforce periodic penalty payments and enhanced supervision measures. European Commission official Margrethe Vestager emphasized the importance of transparency in the DSA enforcement, stating that all platforms, including X, must comply with EU legislation. In a separate action in 2024, the commission initiated proceedings against TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta for alleged violations.