Europe could fine Elon Musk $1 Billion against Twitter….

We’ll see if Elon has Donald as his buddy?

Or?

If the American President leaves his ‘Buddy’ standing out in the rain on his own like he has for others?

European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and disinformation, said four people with knowledge of the plans, a move that is likely to ratchet up tensions with the United States by targeting one of President Trump’s closest advisers.

The penalties are set to include a fine and demands for product changes, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing an ongoing investigation. These are expected to be announced this summer and would be the first issued under a new E.U. law intended to force social media companies to police their services, they said.

European authorities have been weighing how large a fine to issue X as they consider the risks of further antagonizing Mr. Trump amid wider trans-Atlantic disputes over trade, tariffs and the war in Ukraine. The fine could surpass $1 billion, one person said, as regulators seek to make an example of X to deter other companies from violating the law, the Digital Services Act.

E.U. officials said their investigation into X was progressing independently from tariff negotiations after Mr. Trump announced major new levies this week. The investigation began in 2023, and regulators last year issued a preliminary ruling that X had violated the law….

…

Officials in Brussels expect Mr. Musk, who has criticized European policies as a form of censorship, to fight any regulation. In July, after the European Union’s preliminary findings were released, Mr. Musk said he looked forward to contesting any penalty in “a very public battle in court.”

That could set up a legal confrontation with wide-ranging ramifications. If Mr. Musk refuses to comply with E.U. orders to change his service, a standoff may result….

…

E.U. officials said the exact penalty against X would not be decided until closer to a final announcement. Under the Digital Services Act, companies can be fined up to 6 percent of global revenue, though regulators rarely pursue the largest possible penalty.

Unlike Google, Meta, Apple and Amazon, which are publicly traded, X is owned solely by Mr. Musk. E.U. regulators are considering using a piece of the law that lets them calculate a fine based on revenue that also includes other companies Mr. Musk privately controls, like his rocket maker, SpaceX. That increases the potential penalty to well over $1 billion, one person said…..

More…

Note….

This IS Europe’s effort to do exactly opposite Trump & Co.

To protect Europe from American dominace of their markets and police foreign countries  in Europe ….