What happened: On December 5, 2025, regulators in the European Union imposed a €120 million fine on X (formerly Twitter) for failing to comply with the EU’s new content-regulation standards under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

• The fine is the first major penalty under the DSA. X was found to have violated several obligations: poor handling of harmful/illegal content, lack of transparency in verified-account status (the blue check mark), insufficient advertising transparency, and limitations on research-access to public data. 

• Regulators noted the fine is “proportionate” — the DSA allows fines up to 6% of a company’s global revenue — but underscored that transparency and compliance are non-negotiable.

Why it matters: This marks a shift toward heavier regulatory oversight of social platforms in the EU — and could influence how platforms worldwide manage content, transparency and user data. Companies like X, and others under investigation (e.g., TikTok, Meta, etc.) may need to overhaul their systems quickly or face steep penalties.

Political context: The decision has intensified debates over regulation vs. free speech. U.S. lawmakers and officials aligned with former President Donald Trump have criticized the move as targeting American companies, even as the EU frames it as upholding global digital-rights standards.

Read more: [EU fines X €120mn for breaching online-content rules — Reuters]Reuters