EU Fines Musk's X in Historic Digital Services Crackdown

Elon Musk's company X has been fined 120 million euros by the EU for breaching content rules, marking the first sanction under the Digital Services Act. While TikTok avoided penalties with concessions, the crackdown seeks to ensure fair competition, a move criticized by the U.S. government.

The European Union has imposed a significant fine of 120 million euros on Elon Musk's social media platform X for breaching the region's online content regulations. This fine marks the first under the newly implemented Digital Services Act (DSA), setting a precedent likely to rouse criticism from the U.S. government.

In contrast, TikTok managed to evade penalties by making certain concessions, highlighting Europe's rigorous efforts to foster a competitive digital market. The EU's actions have sparked disapproval from the U.S. administration, which accuses the bloc of unfairly targeting American companies.

Henna Virkkunen, the EU's tech chief, underscored that the DSA aims to enforce digital legislation rather than censorship. Companies with pending DSA violation charges can expect faster resolutions than the two-year timeline faced by X, she stated.

(With inputs from agencies.)