"Big Ad Blowback: X Boots EU Commission's Account Amid $140M Fine"
X has taken a firm stance against the European Commission just one day after being hit with a hefty fine of roughly $140 million. The commission's ad account on the platform has been terminated, with X accusing the EU body of exploiting a vulnerability in its Ad Composer tool to artificially inflate engagement.
According to Nikita Bier, head of product at X, the commission "logged into our dormant ad account" and used an exploit to trick users into viewing what was intended to be a video link. This, Bier claimed, was part of a deliberate attempt to boost reach on the platform. However, she also assured that the issue has been patched and exploited measures are now in place to prevent such abuse.
Despite this move, X has still chosen not to allow the commission to buy or track ads on its platform indefinitely. Instead, X requires specific measures and an action plan to address concerns raised by the EU body. Thomas Regnier, spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty at the European Commission, labeled X's system as "deceptive" and criticized the lack of transparency in advertising repositories, calling for better data sharing with researchers.
In response to the commission's allegations, Elon Musk, X's owner, shot back with a tweet labeling them "bullshit". The incident marks the first-ever fine under the Digital Services Act, which has sparked concerns about platform governance.
X has taken a firm stance against the European Commission just one day after being hit with a hefty fine of roughly $140 million. The commission's ad account on the platform has been terminated, with X accusing the EU body of exploiting a vulnerability in its Ad Composer tool to artificially inflate engagement.
According to Nikita Bier, head of product at X, the commission "logged into our dormant ad account" and used an exploit to trick users into viewing what was intended to be a video link. This, Bier claimed, was part of a deliberate attempt to boost reach on the platform. However, she also assured that the issue has been patched and exploited measures are now in place to prevent such abuse.
Despite this move, X has still chosen not to allow the commission to buy or track ads on its platform indefinitely. Instead, X requires specific measures and an action plan to address concerns raised by the EU body. Thomas Regnier, spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty at the European Commission, labeled X's system as "deceptive" and criticized the lack of transparency in advertising repositories, calling for better data sharing with researchers.
In response to the commission's allegations, Elon Musk, X's owner, shot back with a tweet labeling them "bullshit". The incident marks the first-ever fine under the Digital Services Act, which has sparked concerns about platform governance.
. I mean, how hard is it to exploit an ad account? Guess X's security wasn't as solid as they thought 
. On the other hand, the commission's being a bit dramatic, if you ask me 
. A $140M fine might be harsh, but I guess that's what happens when you get caught red-handed 
. Still, kudos to X for standing firm and requiring them to take responsibility for their actions 
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. I mean, calling something "bullshit" without actually addressing the concerns raised by the commission doesn't exactly inspire confidence. 
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, but at the end of the day, isn't that just code for "we're not going to comply with your regulations"? We need some more transparency and accountability from these big tech platforms when it comes to advertising and data sharing.
. It's not cool when you're in trouble and then just tweets your way out of it 
. And what about all the parents who use this platform to manage our kids' online presence? We need to make sure that companies are being held accountable for their actions, not just because they can't be bothered to follow the rules 
what's next? fining tiktok for not buying all their ad space too 
"bullshit" indeed! but i'm not surprised, he's always been a straight shooter (no pun intended). 
they cant just exploit some vulnerability in their ad composer tool and get away with it 
x has already fixed the issue btw so idk why ppl are making a big deal out of it 
but still elon musk's tweet about x being "bullshit" is lowkey hilarious 
we need more transparency in ad platforms, esp when it comes to data sharing 
. It's all so...clunky. Can't they just choose a clean, simple design and stick to it? And what's with the lack of white space? I mean, I know it's not ideal to leave room for ads and stuff, but come on! A little formatting expertise could go a long way here 
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what even is the point of those fines tho? it just seems like they're trying to control everything 
and now x is all "nope not gonna let you do that" 
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. It's all a bit much, you know? The Digital Services Act is supposed to regulate platforms and ensure they're doing things right... but this whole situation feels like more of a PR stunt than actual accountability 
what's this digital services act thingy tho? sounds like some new law or something? how much is 140 mil in euros? 
So, they're saying X's ad system is deceptive because of some exploit, but it sounds to me like X is just trying to protect themselves from being exploited by EU bodies like the Commission! I mean, come on, if they can't even be bothered to patch their own security, shouldn't they be calling out the others for being careless? 
And btw, Elon's tweet about "bullshit" was a major red flag, but at least he's owning up to it and not trying to just sweep it under the rug. Still, I'm kinda worried that this whole incident is just another example of how out of touch the Commission is when it comes to tech governance... 
. I'm curious to see how the commission responds with their action plan... gotta wonder if there's some real meat behind Thomas Regnier's calls for better data sharing 