X Cuts Off The European Commission’s Ad Account After Being Fined €120 Million

Friday, nan EU slapped X pinch a €120 cardinal fine (about $140 million) for violating nan Digital Services Act (DSA). It was nan first clip that a institution had been deed pinch a punishment for moving afoul of nan law. Elon Musk responded pinch his trademark tact and professionalism by posting “Bullshit” connected X successful consequence to nan announcement from nan European Commission. But that wasn’t nan end, because conscionable a time later Nikita Bier, X’s caput of product, accused nan Commission of abusing an utilization to boost nan scope of nan announcement and responded by shutting down its advertisement account.

According to Bier, nan Commission had not utilized its advertisement relationship since 2021, but utilized a station format explicitly reserved for ads successful its announcement of nan fine against X. He claims that nan Commission posted “a nexus that deceives users into reasoning it’s a video and to artificially summation its reach.” (For nan record, nan station itself includes a video.)

The seemingly retaliatory revocation of nan European Commission’s advertisement relationship is improbable to materially alteration things for either X aliases nan EU. If, arsenic Bier claims, nan Commission has not utilized its advertisement relationship since 2021, holding it hostage is improbable to springiness X immoderate leverage. And, while it tin entreaty nan decision, X is presently still connected nan hook for nan sizable fine. Plus, it must supply specifications for really it plans to reside nan “deceptive” usage of verified checkmarks successful nan adjacent 60 days, aliases look further penalties.