The European Union is threatening Elon Musk’s platform, X, with a potentially massive fine following an internal investigation into the company’s operations. According to reports, the EU Commission has wrapped up its probe but has yet to issue an official announcement, likely due to the politically charged nature of the situation.
If X is found guilty of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), the company could face fines of up to six percent of its global annual revenue—possibly in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
While the details of the investigation remain murky, the European Commission has not yet proven any violations. However, X is facing several serious accusations, including insufficient access to data for researchers and a lack of transparency in its advertising. The EU has also accused X of manipulating its algorithms to push extreme right-wing content, although no concrete evidence has surfaced to support this claim, which was even conceded during a debate in the EU Parliament.
Since taking control of X, Musk has been vocal in his disdain for the EU, calling the Commission a “censorship authority” on multiple occasions. Despite the lack of solid evidence, investigations into the platform have been ongoing since 2023, yet no major findings have surfaced that could directly harm Musk’s business.
In response to the potential fine, former President Donald Trump weighed in at the World Economic Forum, dismissing the fine as a form of “tax” that he would reject. Meanwhile, the EU Parliament has taken a more drastic stance, openly advocating for a ban on X. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has expressed support for tightening the DSA even further and plans to push for this change during the upcoming EU interior ministers’ meeting.
At the heart of this conflict is the ongoing battle between tech oligarchs like Musk and government bodies intent on regulating the vast data empires these companies control. Musk’s disregard for EU regulations is a growing flashpoint in the broader conversation about privacy, free speech, and mass surveillance.
