Overview
- EU regulators fined X €120 million for violating transparency rules, citing a deceptive paid blue checkmark, inadequate ad-repository disclosure, and limits on researcher access to public data.
- Brussels gave X 60 days to propose fixes to its verification design and 90 days to submit plans on ads transparency and data access or face periodic penalty payments.
- Elon Musk denounced the ruling, said the European Union should be abolished, and X cut the European Commission’s ad account after alleging it exploited an Ad Composer bug to boost a post.
- Senior U.S. officials criticized the EU action as regulatory overreach targeting American tech, and President Donald Trump warned Europe to be “very careful” following the decision.
- Musk and X said the app saw record-breaking downloads across Europe following the fine, with posts claiming it became the most downloaded app in EU countries.