Rubio Blasts $140M EU Fine of Musk's X for Digital Violations

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to X on Friday to blast the European Commission for its decision to fine Elon Musk's social media platform X 120 million euros, or $140 million, for breaches of the bloc's digital regulations. The move by European Union regulators follows a two-year investigation into whether the platform violated the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The legislation mandates that large online platforms curb illegal or harmful content and improve transparency around advertising and data access for researchers and regulators."

""The European Commission's $140 million fine isn't just an attack on @X, it's an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments," Rubio wrote following the decision. "The days of censoring Americans online are over." EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen defended the sanction as measured and appropriate. She said the amount reflected the seriousness and duration of X's violations and their impact on European users."

"The decision was the first major penalty issued under the DSA - and Rubio wasn't the only U.S. official to criticize it. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr accused Brussels of singling out American firms, saying the fine showed Europe punishing a "successful U.S. tech company for being a successful U.S. tech company." Ahead of the announcement, Vice President JD Vance warned the EU was preparing to penalize X "for not engaging in censorship," arguing that Europe should support free speech, not "attack American companies over garbage.""

The European Commission imposed a 120 million euro ($140 million) fine on X for breaches of the bloc's digital regulations following a two-year investigation under the Digital Services Act. The DSA requires large online platforms to curb illegal or harmful content and to increase transparency around advertising and researcher and regulator data access. The EU described the sanction as measured, reflecting the seriousness and duration of X's violations and their impact on European users, and rejected claims that the DSA amounts to censorship. Several U.S. officials criticized the fine as punitive toward American tech companies and harmful to free expression.

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