Overview
- X product chief Nikita Bier said the Commission used an ad-only post format to make a link appear like a video and artificially boost reach, leading X to cancel the institution’s ad account.
- Bier claimed the weakness in X’s Ad Composer had been closed and said the feature had never been abused in this way before, without providing detailed technical evidence.
- The European Commission disputes X’s depiction, saying it uses social networks in good faith and has not paid for advertising on X for years.
- Days earlier, the Commission fined X €120 million under the Digital Services Act over misleading verification ticks, gaps in ad transparency, and limits on researcher access.
- The clash escalated politically after Elon Musk urged scrapping the EU, drawing support and criticism from international politicians as an EU spokesperson dismissed his remarks as free speech, calling them "completely crazy."