Elon Musk has known as for the European Union to be abolished after the bloc fined his social media firm X 120 million euros ($140 million) for a “misleading” blue checkmark and lack of transparency of its promoting repository.
The European Fee hit X with the ruling on Friday following a two-year investigation into the corporate beneath the Digital Providers Act (DSA), which was adopted in 2022 to manage on-line platforms. On the time, in a reply on X to a publish from the Fee, Musk wrote, “Bulls—.”
On Saturday he stepped up his criticism of the bloc. “The EU needs to be abolished and sovereignty returned to particular person nations, in order that governments can higher signify their individuals,” he stated in a publish on X.
Musk’s feedback come as prime U.S. authorities officers have additionally intensified their opposition to the choice.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio known as the wonderful an “assault on all American tech platforms and the American individuals by overseas governments,” in a publish on X on Friday.
“At present’s extreme €120M wonderful is the results of EU regulatory overreach concentrating on American innovation,” stated Andrew Puzder, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, on X on Saturday.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: we oppose censorship and can problem burdensome laws that concentrate on US firms overseas. We count on the EU to interact in truthful, open, & reciprocal commerce — & nothing much less.”
Final week, the Fee stated breaches included “the misleading design of its ‘blue checkmark,’ the shortage of transparency of its promoting repository, and the failure to supply entry to public information for researchers.”
“With the DSA’s first non-compliance determination, we’re holding X chargeable for undermining customers’ rights and evading accountability,” stated Henna Virkkunen, govt vice chairman for tech sovereignty, safety and democracy, on the time.
X now has 60 days to tell the Fee of plans to deal with the problems with “misleading” blue checkmarks. It has 90 days to submit a plan to resolve the problems with its adverts repository and entry to its public information for researchers.
“Failure to adjust to the non-compliance determination might result in periodic penalty funds,” the Fee stated in a press release.
X.ai, the corporate that owns X, and the Fee have been approached for remark.
