EU Tech regulators ruled in a finding that Elon Musk's social media company X breached EU online content rules which could lead to a fine and significant changes in how it operates.

The move by the European Commission follows a seven-month investigation under the digital services act which requires very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security.

The EU Executive singled out X's dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers.

It said X's verified accounts, which carry a blue checkmark, do not correspond to industry practise and negatively affect users' ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts they interact with.

The Commission said X has also failed to comply with a DSA requirement that companies provide a searchable and reliable advertisement repository.

X was also charged with blocking researchers from accessing its public data.

The company, which will have several months to respond to the charges, could face a fine as much as 6% of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching the DSA.

The Commission said separate investigations continue into dissemination of illegal content on X and measures it has taken to counter disinformation.