EU reportedly investigating X/Twitter over blue tick subscriptions

One of the major changes Elon Musk made after acquiring Twitter was the removal of the old blue check verification system, instead replacing it with a premium subscription option that grants a blue tick to the account, along with some other benefits. It seems the European Union has taken issue with this, as selling verification may be in breach of law. 

According to The Financial Times, the EU has been investigating this since last year. Regulators in Brussels have come away with the opinion that selling ‘verified' status “negatively affects users' ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with”.

Twitter, now renamed to X, has seen an influx in blue check subscribers over the past year, but there has also been a wide issue with spam on the platform, with many their subscriber status to flood the ‘For You' tab and also rank highly in the replies for popular posts.

The decision to sell verified status is also deemed in breach of the EU's Digital Services Act. If X loses its appeal, the company will be fined up to 6 percent of its annual global turnover.

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KitGuru Says: Musk hasn't commented publicly on these reports yet. Do you think X should drop the blue tick verification from subscriptions? 

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