X vs EU is an ongoing struggle that encompasses more than just the platform, but rather the declining ability to practice free speech in the Union. Recently, a lot of companies have faced the option of either adhere to the EU regulations, including backdoors and removing legal, but uncomfortable content, or face the banhammer. Elon, however, have never been one who bends his knee without a proper fight!
The blue checkmark

A lot of people were incredibly hurt and had their feelings disregarded when Elon took over at X, former Twitter. A verification could all of a sudden be bought for a mere $8 per month. By anyone, including peasants. This lead to regulators labeling this new practice as a “dark pattern”. A deviation from industry standards which could potentially mislead users about user authenticity. This has since sparked a fierce debate about balancing monetization and user trust on social media.
The EU bureaucrats sees an opening for potential regulation
The EU seem to think there are three different grievances committed by Elon and X:
- The blue checkmark debacle
Now that anyone can attain the famous blue checkmark, it’s just not the same anymore. The elite and the normal man alike has to pay the $8 per month.It just doesn’t scream “status “I’m special” anymore. - Policies around advertisements and who can access its data.
According to the EU, X fails to provide a searchable and reliable advertisement repository of its advertisers. - Failing to provide adequate access to its public data
After the emergence of AI and LLM training, X decided to disallow data scraping from its site. This resulted in the data not being available to other scrapers either. Researchers, and possibly the intelligence bureaus of the EU where also left in the dark.
Implications for X
Since the initiation of a formal proceeding against X under the Digital Service Act (DSA), X might be forced to pay fines up to 6% of the global revenue to the EU, unless the alleged breaches are addressed. The story doesn’t end there, unfortunately. According to Musk, EU officials have attempted to make an “illegal secret deal” with X, allowing the platform to avoid fines and instead pay the EU through quiet censorship, and possibly surveillance.
EU commissioner Thierry Breton refuted the claims, alleging no secret deal where made (it’s unclear if he refuted the suggestions of the secret deals, however). The main focus of the ongoing investigation remains on issues such as illegal content moderation and disinformation.
Not only X
It’s not just X, although it’s the most prolific due to Elon’s charismatic and unbending persona, but platforms such as Meta, TikTok, and AliExpress have also gotten caught in the spotlight. The message is quite clear: the EU does not want to be left in the dark and is pushing for stricter regulations for all.
In a worst-case scenario, X and the other platforms won’t accept the terms and will be forced to leave the EU market. This is quite unlikely due to the huge userbase the companies have in the EU, and the social issues that would face the EU leadership should they not come to a settlement. More likely, it will have some changes in content moderation practices and transparency across the industry.
In a world as entwined as ours it’s quite easy to come by faulty information, and however hard we try there’s always that one guy spewing hatred and false information. We must, however, remember that it’s not only private citizens who have their own agenda, companies large and small, states, and groups of people have them too. What is considered fact by some is considered falsehood by others. Even mainstream media, the EU, and other agencies doesn’t exactly have a spotless record themselves in this regard. Therefore, in my humble opinion, we must allow as much free speech as possible. Not to shut down the conversation, however uncomfortable. Just as Elon Musk tries to do with X.
Facts: What are “Disinformation” and “Misinformation”?
Disinformation
“It is false information deliberately spread to deceive people. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial activity in which actors employ strategic deceptions and media manipulation tactics to advance political, military, or commercial goals.”
Source: Wikipedia
Misinformation
“It is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation can exist without specific malicious intent; disinformation is distinct in that it is deliberately deceptive and propagated. Misinformation can include inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or false information as well as selective or half-truths.”
Source: Wikipedia
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