Millions fine for X: Musk calls for abolition of the EU, account to be blocked
The reactions to a moderate fine against X are harsh, with the US Secretary of State even speaking of an "attack." The platform itself reacts unexpectedly.
(Image: kovop/Shutterstock.com)
Shortly after the EU Commission imposed a fine of 120 million euros on X, the microblogging service has taken away its ability to place and analyze advertisements there. Product Manager Nikita Bier made this public and claims that the Brussels authority exploited an exploit in the advertising tool to "artificially increase reach." It appears that the EU assumes that the rules should not apply to their account: "Your ad account has been terminated." However, the Commission has since assured that it has not paid for advertising on X for years. It merely uses the tools provided, Gizmodo quotes a spokesperson.
Harsh words from the USA
The blocking occurred over the weekend after EU Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen made the fine against X public on Friday. This was justified by violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and deception with blue ticks, the obfuscation of information about ads, and the exclusion of researchers. Although the fine was comparatively moderate – up to one billion US dollars was speculated in advance – it has drawn massive criticism not only from the platform itself. Elon Musk, who owns X, initially only reacted with "Bullshit." But he didn't stop there.
Hours after the announcement from Brussels, the richest man in the world then demanded on his microblogging service that the EU be abolished "and sovereignty be transferred back to the individual states." This was immediately met with approval from former Russian President and Putin confidant Dmitry Medvedev. Harsh criticism also came from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the fine as an "attack on Americans." His party colleague, Senator Ted Cruz, has therefore even called for sanctions against the EU "until this farce is reversed."
Videos by heise
What exactly led to the blocking of the EU Commission's advertising account on X remains unclear. Apparently, it concerns that very post in which the EU Commission made the fine public. Attached to it is a video that plays automatically when you open it. However, if you click on it, playback is not stopped – as expected – but you are redirected to the EU Commission's website, directly to the announcement of the fine. This is likely the alleged violation; according to Bier, the ability to set this up has since been removed. The EU Commission assured Gizmodo that it always uses social networks "in good faith."
(mho)
