X tells Europeans that blue checks signal active subscription, not verification

For the first time, social messaging platform X is providing European users with more information about how the blue checkmarks system works.

In December 2025, the European Commission imposed a €120 million fine on the social media company for breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The EU's executive branch called X’s blue checkmark for verified accounts a deceptive design choice because it was available to every paying user, with no verification required. This made it difficult to make a distinction between real people and fake brand accounts.

In addition, X’s advertisement repository failed to meet the transparency and accessibility requirements of the DSA, and the company failed to provide researchers access to public data.

“Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads, and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU. With the DSA’s first non-compliance decision, we are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability,” Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said in a statement at the time.

In March 2026, the European Commission stated that X's owner, Elon Musk, intends to alter the functioning of the blue checkmarks, but didn’t explain how.

Since last weekend, X has started showing a prompt about its blue checkmarks.

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According to the update, blue checkmarks were intended to indicate that people really were who they said they were. However, since 2023, every user with an X Premium or X Premium+ account can buy blue checkmarks.

“Previously, to receive the blue checkmark, accounts had to be authentic, active, and deemed notable by Twitter staff. Now, following the changes implemented to democratize the platform, the blue checkmark has a different meaning and identifies accounts that have an active subscription to X Premium/X Premium+ and are complete, active, secure, and non-deceptive, regardless of perceived notability,” the prompt says.

The social media company concludes its prompt by stating that X supports freedom of speech and does not endorse or validate the views expressed on accounts featuring checkmarks.

Unfortunately, X doesn’t explain how it intends to change how blue checkmarks work.

When the European Commission imposed a €120 million fine on X, the company said it would appeal. A lawsuit is currently pending.

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