The European Union on Friday fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120 million for violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), marking the bloc’s first enforcement action under the online safety law. The European Commission said X failed to meet transparency obligations, misled users with the design of its blue checkmark verification feature, and did not provide researchers proper access to public data.
Musk reacted to the announcement by calling the penalty “Bullshit” on X and reposting several messages criticizing the ruling. His comments come amid broader U.S. political criticism, with senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing Europe of targeting American companies.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen rejected suggestions that the fine amounted to censorship or discrimination, saying the penalty reflected the severity and duration of X’s violations. She noted that the DSA’s purpose is to ensure compliance with safety and transparency rules, not to impose maximum fines. The Commission said additional investigations into illegal content and information manipulation on X are continuing.
While X faces sanctions, TikTok avoided a penalty after offering concessions related to its advertising transparency requirements. The Commission said several other companies — including Meta, TikTok and online marketplace Temu — are also under separate DSA investigations. X has up to 90 working days to outline compliance measures.
