Elon Musk's X fined €120m over 'deceptive' blue ticks

The European Commission says the social media site is opening its users up to scams and impersonations.

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The European Commission said by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark on their profile, the platform "deceives users" because the firm is not "meaningfully verifying" who is behind the account.

"This deception exposes users to scams, including impersonation frauds, as well as other forms of manipulation by malicious actors," it said.

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have criticised the EU regulator, accusing it of attacking and censoring US firms.

"The European Commission's fine isn't just an attack on X, it's an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments," Rubio wrote in a post on X.