Businessman Elon Musk once again became the center of a heated confrontation with European authorities after the European Commission imposed a multimillion-euro fine on X, his social media platform, for alleged noncompliance with obligations set forth in the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The penalty, close to 120 million euros, is due to the businessman's refusal to censor users' freedom of expression on X and his rejection of handing over their personal data to the European Union (EU).
The measure taken by Brussels states that X did not fulfill its responsibilities regarding "advertising transparency" and that its verification system would be “misleading” for users.
El tuit de Elon Musk.
Musk's reaction was immediate and confrontational. Over the weekend, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX posted a series of messages aimed directly at the European Union.
In one of them, he reposted an image where the bloc's flag is lifted to reveal the Nazi Germany flag behind it, accompanied by the message “The Fourth Reich.” Musk replied: “Pretty much.” Some time ago, the businessman had described the European bloc as a “bureaucratic monster,” adding that its leaders have been “slowly suffocating Europe.”
In his direct response to the EU, he also stated that the continental bloc project should end: “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty should be returned to individual countries so governments can better represent their peoples.”
El empresario Elon Musk.
The statements resonated within the U.S. government, where several officials expressed support for the businessman. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out forcefully against the decision made in Brussels, calling it an “attack on all U.S. tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.” He also added: “The days of censoring Americans on the Internet are over.”
In the same vein, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Andrew Puzder, expressed Washington's position regarding the regulatory dispute. He asserted that his country “opposes censorship and will challenge onerous regulations that affect U.S. companies abroad.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission keeps the validity of the penalty and continues with censorship, while Musk remains a staunch defender of freedom of expression in the face of regulatory excesses.
