X Axes EU Commission’s Ad Account for Exploiting Platform to Boost Fine Post Reach

Social media giant X has suspended the European Commission’s advertising account after it allegedly used a loophole to amplify a recent penalty announcement across the platform.

The move comes amid escalating tensions between the tech firm and EU regulators, who just days earlier imposed a substantial fine on X for transparency lapses.

The European Commission reportedly activated a long-inactive ad account to leverage a flaw in X’s Ad Composer tool. This allowed the post to mimic a video format, tricking users and extending its visibility far beyond standard organic limits.

Such tactics allegedly violated X’s guidelines on equal platform access, prompting swift action from company executives. The incident highlights ongoing friction over content promotion rules in the digital space.

X’s leadership has long championed unrestricted user voices, a principle now invoked to justify the account shutdown. Regulators, however, view similar platform features as potential vectors for misinformation spread.

It is true that the EU Commission revived a dormant ad account, as confirmed by X’s internal logs shared publicly. The exploit did enable deceptive formatting to inflate engagement, though no evidence suggests widespread prior abuse by other advertisers.

The fine preceding this event targeted X’s blue checkmark system, ad repository access, and researcher data barriers under the Digital Services Act. While X disputes the penalties as overreach, compliance reports show partial adherence but ongoing disputes over verification rigor.

Media reporting for this story: 42% Left | 18% Right | 33% Center | 7% Unrated

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