Twitter Blue: What EU regulator has to say on Elon Musk launching Twitter Blue in Europe – Times of India

Elon Musk launched paid Twitter Blue subscription in December, purportedly as one of the ways to cut losses the company incurred after advertisers paused spending on the platform. It was initially launched in a handful of markets and in the last three months saw the subscription model expand to multiple regions. Recently, Twitter announced its availability to more countries in Europe. In the latest development, the lead privacy regulator in the region has raised concerns about the rollout.
According to a report by news agency Reuters, Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon said that she was concerned that the company launched its Twitter Blue subscription service in the region without consulting her office, despite pledging to do so.

She said the service raised privacy concerns around the verification of accounts to prevent users from posing as public figures.
“We’re a little bit more concerned this week now that we see that the blue tick subscription service is rolling out here in EU countries having been reassured that it wasn’t going to roll out in the European Union (EU) and certainly not before there have been discussions with our office,” Dixon was quoted as saying.
No inquiry launched
Dixon said no formal inquiry has been launched but “we’re at a heightened state of contact with Twitter.” She also said consultation prior to launching a product (or service) in the region is the “best practice.”
She noted that Twitter now has a “very strong” data protection officer. “But beyond the data protection office, there are clearly other forces at play. And we need to understand a little bit more about those,” Dixon added.

Countries where Twitter Blue is officially available
Twitter expanded Twitter Blue paid subscription to 20 more countries earlier this month. It is now available in 37 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Poland, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden, Romania, Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus.
Twitter Blue is available in India at the price of Rs 900 per month on Android/iOS and Rs 650 per month on the web.