On 5 December, the European Commission issued its first landmark decision under the Digital Services Act (DSA), targeting X’s blue checkmark as allegedly deceptive. The decision, which has attracted international attention, including from US politicians, argues that the design facilitates inauthentic behaviour. This article examines why the focus on the blue checkmark misses the platform’s deeper structural problems, does little to improve trust or safety, and raises broader questions about the EU’s approach to enforcing the DSA.
Marc Bovermann (Thu,) studied this question.