On Friday, the European Union imposed a fine of 120 million euros (approximately US$140 million) on social platform In response, platform owner Elon Musk publicly expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the EU's decision by replying "Bullshit" on X.
On the day after the fine was announced, X product manager Nikita Beale accused the European Commission of "abusing loopholes" to expand the scope of the relevant announcements and announced the closure of the European Commission's advertising account on X. Bill claimed that the Commission had not used the advertising account since 2021, but when announcing the fine against According to it, this usage violates the platform's established rules for the use of the format, and the relevant announcement itself does include a video.
However, judging from the practical impact, this seemingly "retaliatory" move has limited change in the actual situation of both parties. If, as Bill said, the European Commission has not really used the advertising account since 2021, then blocking the account can hardly be used as a bargaining chip by X to put pressure on the EU. At the same time, although X can appeal the fine, the platform still needs to face this considerable potential expenditure while the legal process progresses. The EU also requires X to submit a plan within 60 days to explain how to rectify the "misleading use" problem in the identification and presentation of accounts with "certification blue marks" on the platform, otherwise it may face further penalties.
At present, the European Commission has not yet made a public response to the closure of advertising accounts, and relevant communications are still ongoing. It is generally expected that these in-platform measures unilaterally taken by X, whether in terms of fines themselves or subsequent regulatory requirements, will be difficult to shake the EU's overall position under the digital regulatory framework.