Musk Denounces EU After €120 Million X Fine, Calls for Bloc’s Abolition

Overview

• The European Commission levied €120 million against X for violating DSA transparency rules in verification, advertising disclosures and researcher access.
• Regulators split the penalty into €45 million for the paid blue check’s deceptive design, €35 million for ad-transparency failures and €40 million for blocking vetted research.
• The decision represents the first fine imposed under the EU’s Digital Services Act since its provisions took effect.
• Elon Musk labeled the sanction absurd, said he was personally targeted, threatened a response against those responsible and urged that the European Union be abolished.
• U.S. officials criticized the move, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while the Commission gave X 60 working days to outline corrections on the blue-check issue.