EC Issues First Non-Compliance Fine Under the DSA: X Fined €120 Million for Dark Patterns and Transparency Failures

The European Commission has taken a consequential step in the early enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA). On 5 December 2025, the Commission imposed a €120 million fine on X (formerly Twitter), concluding that the platform’s paid “blue checkmark,” its sparse and unwieldy advertising repository, and its barriers to researcher access together formed a pattern of conduct at odds with the DSA’s core principles of transparency and accountability….
By: Goodwin