Benzinga·2025-12-06 04:26Core Viewpoint - The European Union has fined Elon Musk's social media company X €120 million ($140 million) for violating online content rules under the Digital Services Act, marking the first enforcement of this regulation since its adoption in 2022 [1] Group 1: Reactions from Elon Musk and U.S. Officials - Elon Musk stated that the fine was imposed not only on X but also personally on him, calling it "insane" and suggesting that the response should target both the EU and the individuals responsible for the action [2] - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz described the fine as an attack on American job creators and free speech, urging for sanctions against the EU until the fine is reversed [3] - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the fine as an attack on American tech platforms and the American people, asserting that censorship of Americans online is over [3] Group 2: Additional Context on EU Regulations - TikTok managed to avoid penalties by committing to advertising transparency, despite preliminary findings against it for not maintaining accessible advertisement repositories as required by the DSA [5] - The EU has previously imposed significant fines on other tech giants, including $3.5 billion on Alphabet Inc. and nearly $800 million on Meta Platforms and Apple Inc. [6]