On Friday, Elon Musk said the European Commission (EC) "offered 𝕏 an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone," they would not seek to issue daily fines related to 𝕏’s blue check verification system that could total 6% of the company’s annual revenue.

"The other platforms accepted that deal. 𝕏 did not," his post says.

Elon’s post came after EC commissioner Thierry Breton announced the Commission's preliminary findings that pre-Elon, blue checkmarks "used to mean trustworthy sources of information," but now violate the Digital Services Act because, today, "anyone can subscribe to obtain such a 'verified' status," therefore the commission may "impose fines & require significant changes."

The EC wanted 𝕏 to hire a team of people in the EU that could number in the hundreds to remove 'misinformation' from the platform, a person with knowledge of the issue told PW Editor-in-Chief Mike Solana. 𝕏 would have no recourse in these removal decisions, the person said.

"The objective of the Digital Services Act is to ensure a safe and fair online environment for European citizens that is respectful of their rights, in particular freedom of expression," EC spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Pirate Wires over email. "The DSA requires a fair and transparent complaint mechanism for users. If an account is suspended, the user has the right to contest the decision. This means that decisions must not be arbitrary, and users are empowered to protect their online presence... When an account is restricted, the user must be informed and has the right to appeal the decision."

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