Elon Musk has called for the European Union’s abolition after it fined his social media platform X €120 million for using misleading blue verification ticks and lacking transparency in its advertising data.
The fine, issued under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA)—a 2022 law to regulate online platforms—followed a two-year investigation. Musk dismissed the ruling on X, tweeting, “Bulls—,” and later said, “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people.”
U.S. officials also criticised the decision. Senator Marco Rubio called it “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” while U.S. ambassador Andrew Puzder said it reflected “EU regulatory overreach targeting American innovation,” urging fair and reciprocal trade.
The European Commission found X’s deceptive blue ticks, lack of advertising transparency, and refusal to provide researchers access to data constituted breaches. Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, said the ruling holds X accountable for “undermining users’ rights and evading accountability.”
X has 60 days to address the blue tick issues and 90 days to improve its advertising transparency and data access or face ongoing fines.