The European Union is reportedly considering fining Elon Musk’s free speech platform X $1 billion for allegedly violating its law against disinformation and illicit content.
According to The New York Times, which cited “four people with knowledge of the plans,” the E.U. will also demand that X make changes to its product in addition to the fine.
If the E.U. does move forward, the fine would be the first imposed by the body using its Digital Services Act (DSA), which “regulates online intermediaries and platforms … to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation.”
Musk’s social media company responded to the potential enforcement of the E.U.’s social media law, saying the move would be “an unprecedented act of political censorship and an attack on free speech.”
“X has gone above and beyond to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act, and we will use every option at our disposal to defend our business, keep our users safe, and protect freedom of speech in Europe,” the company said.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino added:
“This would be an egregious example of regulatory overreach.
X continues to fight the attempts to stifle free speech taking place around the world, whether on our platform or off. We’re committed to protect this fundamental right for our users.”
Last year, the E.U. concluded that X violated the DSA “in areas linked to dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers,” claiming that X verifies accounts and hands out “Blue checkmarks” in a way that “deceives users.”
“Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a ‘verified’ status, it negatively affects users’ ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with,” the E.U. said.
The E.U. also accused the platform of failing to provide adequate transparency in advertising and of failing to hand over its public data to researchers “in line with the conditions set out in the DSA.”
However, E.U. regulators stopped investigating X to discuss the potential ramifications of going after a company controlled by one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers.
In recent months, the E.U. came under fire from Vice President JD Vance, who called out the bloc during a speech against censorship in February.
Vance sharply rebuked European leaders over censorship, explicitly criticizing the United Kingdom’s crackdown on free speech.
“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” Vance said at the time.
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” Vance declared.
“Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls.”
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