European commission fine against X (8 December 2025)

On 5 December 2025, the European Commission imposed a fine of €120 million on the social network X for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA).

France recalls that compliance with the DSA is not optional but obligatory, and it supports this European Commission decision. For the first time, a fine has been issued under the DSA. The reason for the decision is that X breached its transparency obligations in at least three ways. Firstly, the blue badge distributed by X misleads users (anyone can obtain “verified” status after payment); and X does not verify the identity of badge-holders (so users cannot verify the authenticity of the accounts with which they interact). X is also criticized for presenting a dysfunctional advertising repository (X conceals information about adverts displayed, and particularly about the identity of advertisers). Finally, X does not allow researchers effective access to its data, making any public research into the harmfulness of the recommendation algorithm impossible.

X has 60 days to propose solutions to the breaches highlighted – the DSA’s aim is not to collect fines but to get potentially toxic models to change for users.
In parallel to the decision, the European Commission has so far accepted the commitments made by TikTok to make its advertising repository operational. The commitments are legally binding. France calls on the European Commission to ensure their actual implementation is strictly monitored.

These two cases demonstrate that when platforms engage constructively for the benefit of users, we welcome these steps. When they do not, we ask the Commission to implement its powers and take action. The DSA is a regulatory tool that was adopted to protect our democracies and European citizens from abuses observed on the major digital platforms.