Elon Musk's X bans European Commission from making ads after €120m fine

X, owned by Elon Musk, has blocked the European Commission from advertising on its platform after being fined €120 million by the EU for its blue tick system. The EU regulator deemed X's blue checkmarks "deceptive" due to a lack of meaningful user verification, potentially exposing users to scams and manipulation. Nikita Bier, a senior figure at X, accused the Commission of exploiting the platform's advertising system to promote its post about the fine. The Commission denies any wrongdoing, stating it uses social media tools in good faith and expects them to comply with platform terms. X has 60 days to address the EU's concerns regarding its blue checkmarks or face further penalties.

In December 2025, the European Union fined Elon Musk's social media platform X 120 million euros ($140m) for violating the Digital Services Act. The EU found X guilty of deceptive practices related to its blue checkmark system, lack of advertising transparency, and restricted data access for researchers. The fine, the first major penalty under the DSA, has sparked a transatlantic dispute, with US officials accusing the EU of unfairly targeting American tech companies. The EU's investigation, which lasted two years, resulted in individual fines for each violation: 45 million euros for the blue checkmark system, 35 million euros for advertising transparency, and 40 million euros for data access restrictions. The decision risks escalating trade tensions between the EU and the US.

The EU has fined Elon Musk's social media platform X €120 million due to concerns that its blue check mark verification system deceives users and exposes them to scams. The European Commission stated that X is not meaningfully verifying the identity of accounts with paid blue ticks. US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FCC chair Brendan Carr, have criticized the EU's action, accusing it of unfairly targeting a US tech company and stifling free speech. They argue that the EU's regulations are suffocating and that the fine is an attack on American tech platforms. The EU also cited X's lack of transparency regarding advertising and limited data access for researchers as contributing factors to the fine.