EU Fines Elon Musk’s X Platform Euro 120 Million For Breaking Transparency Rules

The European Union has fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X Euro120 million for violating the bloc’s digital transparency rules. The penalty, announced after a two-year probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA), is the first major enforcement action of its kind and is expected to further strain EU-US relations, according to the Associated Press.

Regulators said X broke transparency rules in three areas: its blue checkmark system, which they believe misleads users; an incomplete ad database; and barriers that limit researchers’ access to public data. Officials said these gaps weaken user trust and make it harder to detect scams, manipulation and systemic risks. They noted that after Musk bought the platform in 2022, verification shifted from confirming identity to a paid feature, leaving users more exposed to impersonation.

The decision drew sharp criticism from US officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Brussels was attacking “all American tech platforms,” echoing long-standing claims by Washington that the EU’s digital rules unfairly target US companies. European officials rejected the charge, insisting the action was based strictly on law and democratic processes. X did not comment on the ruling.

The EU said X’s ad database and data-access tools still fall below DSA standards, citing delays and design issues that obscure who pays for ads and how users are targeted. The ruling came as the EU closed a separate case involving TikTok after it agreed to improve transparency around political and commercial advertising.