X Blocks EU Ads Account After €120m Fine, Escalating Clash Between Elon Musk and Brussels

X has terminated the European Commission’s advertising account, just days after Brussels issued a €120 million penalty against the platform for violating transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The shutdown came directly from X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, who accused the Commission of misusing the platform’s tools to boost visibility of its post announcing the fine.

“The irony of your announcement: You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach,” Bier wrote on X. “As you may be aware, X believes everyone should have an equal voice on our platform. However, it seems you believe that the rules should not apply to your account. Your ad account has been terminated.”

Bier later added that this specific exploit had “never been abused like this” and has now been fixed.

​​Why the EU issued the €120 million fine

The Commission’s penalty, delivered late last week, was the first-ever fine under the DSA, a law designed to police online platforms and limit manipulation.

According to the Commission, the platform’s paid verification system was “deceptive” because it allowed users to buy the blue checkmark without “meaningfully verifying who is behind the account.” The regulator argued this made the public more vulnerable to impersonation scams and other kinds of online manipulation.

The Commission also said X failed to provide sufficient transparency about political and paid advertisements and obstructed researchers’ access to public data, both of which are requirements under the DSA.

Officials said X now has 60 days to reply to the concerns and could face additional penalties if it does not comply.

The EU responds: ‘We use platforms in good faith’

In a statement to other news outlets, a spokesperson for the European Commission refuted the claim of misusing the platform, insisting that the Commission “always uses all social media platforms in good faith.”

The spokesperson added that the institution was “simply using the tools that platforms themselves are making available to our corporate accounts,” and stated, “We expect these tools to be fully in line with the platforms’ own terms and conditions, as well as with our legislative framework.” The Commission has noted that it suspended all paid advertising on X back in October 2023, and that suspension remains in effect.

Political fallout: Musk calls for EU’s abolition

The confrontation has drawn strong reactions beyond the tech sphere. X owner Elon Musk did not mince words in his online response to the fine, first calling the penalty “bullshit” and later posting on the platform to say “the EU should be abolished.”

This sentiment was mirrored by some US political figures, who have long criticized the EU’s aggressive regulatory stance toward American tech companies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others have accused the EU of attacking and censoring US firms.

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