Brussels: U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk has publicly criticized the European Union (EU) for imposing a significant fine on his social media platform, X, due to violations of transparency regulations. Musk's remarks suggested potential retaliatory actions targeting the officials accountable for the penalty.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the European Commission announced on Friday that X was fined 120 million euros (approximately 140 million U.S. dollars) for not adhering to the transparency mandates outlined in the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The fine is attributed to three specific breaches: misleading design features associated with X's blue checkmark, insufficient transparency in its advertising repository, and the platform's failure to grant researchers access to public data.

Musk expressed his discontent on his platform, emphasizing that the fine was not only against X but also personally against him, which he found particularly unjust. He further suggested that the EU as an institution should be dismantled, reflecting his dissatisfaction with the regulatory actions.

The decision by the EU has sparked criticism from U.S. officials, who view the fine as an attack on free speech rights and allege that U.S. tech companies are being selectively targeted. Additionally, former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to levy additional tariffs on the EU if it continues to penalize American technology firms.