X Shuts Down European Commission’s Ad Account After The Platform Was Fined €120 Million

X has moved to deactivate the European Commission’s advertising account just days after the platform was hit with a €120 million penalty under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

The fine — the first issued to X under the new regulations — centred on the platform’s paid verification system and alleged failures in advertising transparency.

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EU regulators criticised X’s blue checkmark model as “deceptive”, arguing it exposes users to a higher risk of impersonation and scams. They also noted that the company’s advertising repository did not satisfy the DSA’s strict openness and accessibility requirements.

The European Commission has given X 60 days to address concerns around its verification system and 90 days to resolve advertising transparency issues. Failure to comply could trigger further sanctions.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk reacted strongly to the ruling, labelling the fine “bullshit” and adding, “How long before the EU is gone? AbolishTheEU”.

X Accuses Commission of Exploiting Ad Tools

X insists the deactivation of the Commission’s ad account is unrelated to the fine. Instead, the company claims the Commission misused its advertising tools.

Responding directly to the Commission’s post announcing the penalty, X’s Head of Product Nikita Bier accused EU officials of accessing a “dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach.”

Bier continued, “As you may be aware, X believes everyone should have an equal voice on our platform. However, it seems you believe that the rules should not apply to your account.”

He confirmed that the Commission’s ad account had therefore been “terminated”. Bier later added that the exploit “has never been abused like this” and had since been fixed.

Commission’s Post Remains Visible Despite Ad Ban

Although the Commission can no longer purchase ads on X, its post announcing the fine remains accessible on the platform. Its account still carries a grey checkmark, identifying it as an official government entity.

A European Commission spokesperson has been approached for comment.

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