Elon Musk is calling for the European Union to be abolished after it fined his social media platform X about $140 million for breaching online safety laws, a step he rejected as “bulls–t.”
The European Commission on Friday slapped X with the first fine under its sweeping new tech regulations, accusing the social media company of using a “deceptive” blue checkmark design, lacking transparency around its advertising repository and failing to provide researchers access to public data.
“The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday.
A day before, he called the EU’s decision “bulls–t.”
“The fine reflects non-compliance with law – not ideology. If there is compliance, there is no fine,” Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson of the European Commission, told The Post in a statement.
“Freedom of speech – a value we uphold and cherish – in the European Union, means that even such statements can be made.”
X did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
US officials have ramped up their pressure campaign on the EU to loosen its strict tech regulations, arguing the policies amount to an attack on free speech.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the fine an “attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.”
US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder said Saturday that the fine on X “is the result of EU regulatory overreach targeting American innovation.”
“The Trump Administration has been clear: we oppose censorship and will challenge burdensome regulations that target US companies abroad,” he wrote on X. “We expect the EU to engage in fair, open, & reciprocal trade — & nothing less.”
Ahead of the fine was announced Thursday, Vice President JD Vance extended his support to Musk, writing: “The EU should be supporting free speech, not attacking American companies over garbage.”
Musk’s company is the first to be penalized under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which is aimed at cracking down on the spread of disinformation and illegal content online.
“Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU,” Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a Friday statement.
X has 60 days to respond to the commission with plans to address the allegations over its blue checkmark design, and 90 days to submit a plan to fix the alleged issues with its ad depository and data access.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, warned that failure to comply with those requirements could lead to periodic fines.
Musk — the world’s richest person with a net worth of half a trillion dollars, according to Forbes — has the option to appeal the ruling, though doing so could lead to a lengthy court battle.
In April 2023, X, formerly known as Twitter, started removing blue checkmarks from users profiles. The badges designated verified celebrities or public figures on the app.
Musk overhauled the program so anyone can buy a blue checkmark, which now designate accounts that pay for a premium subscription.
The European Commission warned this “deceptive design” could expose users to online scams and impersonation frauds.
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