The European Commission has fined X €120 million (~$140 million) for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), issuing the first formal enforcement action since the law took effect
Regulators said X misled users through its paid blue checkmark system, failed to meet advertising transparency requirements, and blocked researchers from accessing public data.
“Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU.”
— Henna Virkkunen, EU Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty
Under the order, X has 60 days to modify its verification program and 90 days to address transparency and data-access mandates or face additional penalties.
Musk Responds: “Abolish the EU”
Elon Musk condemned the ruling in a series of posts, writing:
“The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people”
The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2025
He also claimed the penalty applied to him personally and said there would be a “response” directed at the officials who imposed it
A viral post from commentator Eric Daugherty highlighted prior clashes between Musk and European regulators, including the 2024 Public Warning Letter sent by Commissioner Thierry Breton ahead of a Trump interview on the platform.
“They even tried to CENSOR the Trump Spaces last year. ENOUGH!”
🚨 JUST IN: Elon Musk and supporters of free speech are demanding the EU be ABOLISHED after crossing a red line in trying to censor X — fining Elon $140M.
They even tried to CENSOR the Trump Spaces last year.
ENOUGH!
The unelected EU has gone too far! pic.twitter.com/HVmU0KLVGW
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 6, 2025
U.S. Reaction: “Regulatory Extortion”
Senior officials aligned with President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized Brussels and framed the ruling as an attack on American tech.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued one of the strongest rebukes, writing:
“Europe is taxing innovation it can’t produce itself.”
According to Politico’s reporting, additional statements included:
- JD Vance — X was being punished “for refusing to censor conservatives.”
- Marco Rubio — the ruling was “an attack on American tech platforms and the American people.”
- Andrew Puzder, Trump’s EU envoy — said “strong countermeasures” should be expected.
Some transition officials said retaliatory trade actions targeting individual EU commissioners are under consideration.
Regulatory and Political Stakes
This penalty concludes only the first portion of the EU’s broader probe into X.
Additional investigations remain open into:
- illegal content,
- information manipulation, and
- moderation effectiveness.
Those cases could result in fines up to 6% of global revenue.
TikTok avoided penalties in a parallel transparency review after agreeing to implement changes requested by the Commission.
The dispute lands at a time of already strained U.S.–EU relations, with the incoming Trump administration signaling that defense of U.S. tech companies and platform speech rights will be non-negotiable red lines.
