On Friday, December 5, 2025, the European Commission announced a €120 million fine (approximately $140 million) against Elon Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter) for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). This is the first penalty of its kind under the new legislation, which aims to combat illegal content, promote transparency, and prevent data manipulation. The decision sparked tension in the United States, with Vice President Jay De Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing Brussels of "censorship" and an "attack on American companies," calling it "the end of the era of European censorship of Americans online."
Details of the violations: Misleading blue checkmark and lack of transparency
The fine came after a two-year investigation that began in July 2023 and focused on three major violations under the DSA (which came into effect in 2023):- Misleading blue checkmark design: After Musk's acquisition in 2022, the checkmark became available for a fee ($8 per month) without proper verification, deceiving users and exposing them to fraud and identity theft (€45 million fine).
- Lack of transparency in advertising: Failure to provide sufficient data on targeted advertising, exposing users to fraud (€35 million fine).
- Refusal to grant access to researchers: Failure to share public data with researchers to study harmful spread (€40 million fine).
Technology Commissioner Hina Virkkonen emphasized, "This decision has nothing to do with censorship, but rather with enforcing the law to promote user rights and protect transparency." She noted that the fine is "proportionate" and is calculated based on the severity and duration of the violations (two years), and that investigations are ongoing into other issues such as illegal content and misinformation.
The angry US response: "European censorship of Americans."
Washington reacted angrily, with Vice President Jay De Vance warning, "Europe is attacking and censoring American companies online," adding that "the era of censorship is over." Foreign Minister Marco Rubio joined in, demanding a "strong response" and considering the fine "an attack on the entire American people." This comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Brussels over the DSA and DMA, with the US threatening "trade sanctions" if the EU continues to "target American companies." This comes after US warnings in October 2025 of a "trade war" if the EU imposes restrictions on companies like Apple and Amazon, reigniting tensions over "digital sovereignty" between the two sides. Virkonen emphasized that the investigation is "independent" and not targeting the US, but rather protecting 450 million Europeans, and that the fine (less than 6% of Apple's global revenue) is "proportionate." Musk, who responded with a tweet calling it "nonsense" and referring to "European censorship," has the right to appeal.
