Elon Musk has escalated his feud with Brussels, declaring the European Union should be “abolished” after his platform X was hit with a £105 million fine for transparency violations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The billionaire lashed out on X shortly after the announcement, accusing the EU of overreach and attacking what he called the bloc’s “undemocratic power”.
“The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” he wrote – before replying “bulls**t” to the Commission’s official statement.
🔵 Why the EU fined X
The €120m (£105m) penalty follows a two-year investigation into whether X complied with transparency rules designed to:
- expose scam advertising
- provide public access to data for researchers
- prevent misleading verification systems
Brussels concluded that X:
- misled users by allowing anyone to buy a blue verification tick
- failed to give researchers access to data needed to study disinformation
- breached transparency rules on paid political and commercial content
Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s tech chief, insisted the fine was “proportionate”, adding:
“If you comply with the rules, you don’t get the fine. It’s as simple as that.”
🔴 Washington jumps in – and sides with Musk
US political heavyweights rallied to Musk’s defence, calling the EU’s move an attack not just on X but on American interests:
- Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, labelled it “an attack on all American tech platforms”.
- Brendan Carr, top US telecoms regulator, said Europe was “fining a successful US company for being successful”.
- JD Vance, US Vice President, claimed the EU was punishing Musk for “not engaging in censorship”.
Some US officials even hinted the ruling would strain NATO cooperation.
🟠 TikTok, Meta, Temu also under EU scrutiny
X is not alone. Under the DSA:
- TikTok has been charged over its advertising transparency
- Meta faces allegations of failing to meet safety standards
- Temu is accused of allowing illegal products onto its marketplace
X now has 60–90 working days to present a compliance plan.
🔵 Musk: “They fined X – and me, personally”
In a striking move, Musk claimed the EU’s sanction applies not only to X but to him individually, calling it “even more insane”.
He hinted at retaliation, writing that his response may be directed not just at the EU as an institution, but at the officials who took the decision.
🔴 A growing ideological clash
The dispute marks the latest escalation in a widening conflict:
- The EU wants strict rules to counter misinformation and scams
- Musk argues such regulation amounts to censorship
- Washington sees Europe’s approach as an attack on US digital dominance
The collision between Musk’s free-speech absolutism and Brussels’ regulatory framework is now becoming one of the defining global tech battles of the decade.
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