3 Minutes
The European Commission has slapped X (formerly Twitter) with a hefty €120 million fine for breaching the Digital Services Act, and Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is not holding back. He says the penalties are political and target platforms that host dissenting voices — a charge that reignites a broader debate over free speech, platform responsibility and regulatory bias.
Why Durov says the EU is targeting dissent
Brussels argues X misled users by monetizing the blue verification tick, making it harder to distinguish authentic accounts. Hanna Virkunen, the EU's tech official overseeing the case, criticized the company for violating user rights and dodging accountability. The Commission set the fine at €120 million (roughly $140 million) and gave X 60 days to implement fixes. If the platform refuses, the penalty could rise to as much as 6% of global revenue — a corporate threat that could reshape operations across Europe.
Durov responded on Telegram and X, arguing the enforcement is selective. "The EU targets platforms that host 'inconvenient' conversations," he wrote, naming Telegram, X and TikTok as examples. According to him, platforms that quietly suppress speech through algorithms — even when hosting far more serious illegal content — often escape scrutiny.
The Telegram founder also rekindled claims that European regulators and some platforms have struck quiet deals. He referenced Elon Musk’s earlier allegation that the Commission offered a secret arrangement to other social networks to censor content covertly in exchange for leniency — a claim Musk made publicly in 2024. Durov added his own anecdote about France, asserting that authorities proposed intelligence help on the condition Telegram would secretly limit speech in Romania and Moldova.
Whether those specific allegations hold water, the episode highlights a persistent tension: regulators pushing for platform accountability while accused companies and some founders insist enforcement is politically motivated. For users and policymakers alike, the dispute raises questions about transparency — both in how platforms moderate content and how authorities apply the rules.
- Fine: €120 million (~$140M) under the DSA.
- Compliance window: 60 days for X to make changes.
- Escalation risk: fines could grow to 6% of global revenue if noncompliant.
As X weighs its response and Telegram continues to push back, the clash will be watched closely by other platforms, civil liberties groups and European regulators. The outcome could set important precedents for how the Digital Services Act is enforced and how much influence politics may have over what is framed as legal compliance.
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