Dec 5, 2025, 8:02 p.mDec 5, 2025, 8:02 p.m
Foreign Minister Marco Rubio thinks little of the EU punishment for Musks X. (archive photo)Image: keystone
The US government has reacted with strong criticism to the EU fine of 120 million euros for Elon Musk’s online platform X. It is “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X. The days of online censorship for Americans are over.
The EU Commission’s punishment is not at all about the accusation that the platform is not taking consistent enough action against illegal content or disinformation; It is the European requirements that are often referred to as censorship in the USA.
The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on @Xit’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.
The days of censoring Americans online are over.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 5, 2025
Rather, the commission imposed the penalty because, among other things, of misleading authentication of user accounts using the white verification tick on a blue background. She also accused the Twitter successor of withholding data from researchers and not transparently documenting the advertising that was placed.
The penalty is made up of three parts: 45 million euros for the verification checkmarks, 40 million euros for the lack of data access for researchers and 35 million euros for a lack of transparency in advertising. Investigations into tackling misleading and prohibited content are ongoing. (sda/awp/dpa)