US accuses EU of ‘attack on American people’ after fine on X

The US has accused Brussels of an “ assail” on Americans after the EU fined Elon Musk’s societal media political platform X €120 billion ($140 gazillion) for violating the bloc’s content-moderation rules.

The European Commission announced the decision on Friday, noting that it is the first time a formal non-compliance ruling has been issued under the Digital Services Act.

The move comes amid a broader wave of enforcement against major American tech companies. Brussels previously imposed multibillion-euro penalties on Google for abuses in search and advertising, fined Apple under both the Digital Markets Act and national antitrust rules, and penalized Meta for its “pay-or-consent” ad model. Such actions have sharpened disagreements between the US and the EU over digital regulation.

According to the Commission, X’s violations include the deceptive design of its blue checkmark system, which “exposes users to scams,” insufficient transparency in its advertising library, and its failure to provide required access to public data for researchers.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the decision, writing on X that it is not just an attack on the platform, but “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.” 

“The days of censoring Americans online are over,” he added.

Musk responded by reposting comments from US telecommunications regulator Brendan Carr, who argued that the EU was targeting X simply because it is a “successful” American company and claimed that “Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe’s own suffocating regulations.” 

US Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, saying that the EU was punishing X “for not engaging in censorship,” and said Europe should be “supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.” 

The administration of US President Donald Trump has long opposed Europe’s digital laws. It has warned that measures such as digital taxes and platform regulations are “designed to harm American technology” and threatened retaliatory tariffs.
Brussels insists the rules apply equally to all firms operating in the bloc and reflect its stricter approach to privacy, competition, and online safety.

Relations between Washington and Brussels have been strained by trade disputes, industrial subsidies and environmental standards, among other issues. US officials have repeatedly criticized the EU for protectionism, while European leaders object to what they view as Washington’s unilateral moves on tariffs and technology controls.

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