Elon Musk has suggested that the European Union should be disbanded in light of his social media platform, X, receiving a fine of approximately $140 million for breaching online safety regulations, a decision Musk dismissed as “nonsense.”
On Friday, the European Commission handed down the first penalty under new, extensive technology regulations, highlighting that X employed a “misleading” design for its blue checkmark, lacked transparency in its advertising practices, and failed to provide researchers with essential public data access.
Musk took to X on Saturday, stating, “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to countries so that governments can better represent their people.”
The day prior, he had characterized the EU’s ruling as “bullish”.
Responses from X and the European Commission were not immediately available.
U.S. officials view this policy as a challenge to free speech and are increasing pressure on the EU to relax strict tech regulations.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the fine “an attack by a foreign government against all American technology platforms and Americans.”
U.S. Ambassador to the EU, Andrew Puzder, stated that the sanction against X exemplifies “EU regulatory overreach targeting American innovation.” He added, “The Trump administration has pledged to fight against censorship and challenge burdensome regulations on U.S. companies abroad.”
Before the fine was announced, Vice President J.D. Vance showed support for Musk, saying, “The EU should support free speech, not attack American companies over nonsense.”
X is the first company to be penalized under the EU’s digital services law, which seeks to tackle disinformation and illegal content online.
Hena Virkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for technology sovereignty, security, and democracy, stated, “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, hiding information in ads, and locking out researchers has no place online in the EU.”
X has 60 days to respond regarding the blue checkmark design and 90 days to address issues around ad storage and data access.
The European Commission has warned that non-compliance may result in further fines.
Musk, currently the richest man globally with a net worth of $5 trillion, has the option to appeal the ruling, which may lead to a protracted legal struggle.
Back in April 2023, X, previously known as Twitter, started removing blue checkmarks from users’ accounts, which had marked verified celebrities and public figures.
Musk has revamped the system, allowing anyone to buy a blue checkmark and permitting an account to pay for premium subscriptions.
The European Commission cautioned that this “misleading design” could put users at risk of online fraud and identity theft.
