X is now ‘number 1 in every EU country!’—Elon Musk’s new announcement after calling for abolition of 27-nation bloc
Billionaire Elon Musk claimed on Sunday that the social media platform has become the leading source of news in EU countries after calling for the removal of the European Union (EU)’s $140 million fine on X.
On Sunday, Musk first tweeted, “X is seeing record-breaking downloads in many countries in Europe,” before launching into a tirade against the block, which was also criticized by Donald Trump administration officials after the fine was announced.
Continuing his criticism of the EU, the Tesla and SpaceX chief wrote, “The European Union is DEMOCRACY – not rule by the people – but rather BUREAUCRATIC – rule by unelected bureaucrats! (sic).”
Shortly after, Musk announced that X was “Now #1 in every EU country!” He declared that it was.
The source of Musk’s statement was a post by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley announcing: “BREAKING NEWS: has become.”
“The same 27 countries that tried to regulate, punish and silence this…now trust it more than any legacy outlet or state media. You can’t make up for that (sic),” the group added.
Mint could not independently verify the claim made by the group and reshared by Musk.
Why was X fined $140 million?
The $140 million fine imposed by the EU on X was for alleged breaches of the bloc’s strict content and transparency rules, which come into force in August 2023. The rules essentially regulate what big tech companies can and cannot do when it comes to content moderation and processing of user data.
Announcing the penalty, the EU said X was penalized for the “deceptive design” of its blue checkmark and the lack of transparency in the social media platform’s ad store.
The EU also said that
“Furthermore, X’s processes for researchers’ access to public data create unnecessary barriers, effectively undermining research into a range of systemic risks in the European Union,” the EU said. he said.
EU criticized by Musk and Trump exec
Following the EU’s decision to punish X, Musk went on the offensive, calling for the bloc’s dissolution.
“The EU should be dissolved and sovereignty returned to individual countries so governments can better represent their people (sic),” the billionaire wrote on X, and then wrote several posts about the EU’s shortcomings.
“Europe is sleepwalking towards oblivion,” Musk wrote in a post.
He shared a post equating the block with the “Fourth Reich” before continuing his attack.
“The cruel, unelected bureaucracy oppressing the people of Europe is in the second picture,” Musk wrote in a post on Sunday.
Officials from Donald Trump’s administration also harshly criticized the EU after the penalty was imposed, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling the move an “attack” on US technology companies.
“The European Commission’s $140 million fine is not just an attack on
“The days of Americans being censored online are over,” Rubio added.
