The EU Commission fined platform X 120 million euros for transparency shortcomings. Owner Elon Musk reacted angrily, demanding the abolition of the EU. His statements elicited mixed international responses.
The EU Commission in Brussels imposed a 120 million euro fine on Elon Musk's platform X for breaching transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The authority cited misleading user account authentication via blue verification hooks as a main reason. This fine concludes the first part of an investigation that will also examine content on the platform.
US billionaire Elon Musk, a former collaborator with President Donald Trump, responded on X with sharp criticism. 'The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries so that governments can better represent their people,' he wrote in a pinned post. In further posts, he accused the EU of censorship and a 'bureaucracy slowly suffocating Europe to death.' He felt personally targeted: 'The EU imposed this crazy fine not only against X, but also personally against me.' Musk also supported calls for US sanctions against Brussels without indicating whether he would challenge the fine.
International reactions were polarizing. From Russia, Musk received support from Dmitri Medwedew, Putin's deputy on the Security Council, who commented 'Exactly.' Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski countered: 'Go to Mars. The Hitler salute isn't censored there,' referencing a gesture by Musk at a Trump rally and his claims of no free speech in the EU.
In the US, the fine sparked criticism. Vice President JD Vance said: 'The EU should support free speech and not attack American companies over nonsense.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it an 'attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.' Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau accused the EU of undermining US policy while demanding military protection from America. These tensions could further strain EU-Trump administration relations, as Trump previously threatened tariffs against the EU if it penalizes US tech firms.
EU Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen rejected US allegations: The DSA has nothing to do with censorship; it concerns X's transparency. Musk had previously advertised for the AfD during the German election campaign.