According to Gizmodo, on Saturday, X head of product Nikita Bier claimed the platform banned the European Commission’s X ad account for violating its rules. Bier accused the Commission of using an “exploit” in the X ad composer to post a deceptive link that artificially increased reach. This move came just one day after the European Commission fined X approximately $140 million for alleged deceptiveness, lack of transparency, and withholding data. However, a Commission spokesperson immediately countered that the EU has had a policy of not advertising on X since 2023, suspending all paid services. The spokesperson stated the Commission simply used the platform’s own “Post Composer” tool, expecting it to comply with X’s terms. Gizmodo could not get clarification from X on the specific technical issue, and it’s unclear if the ban on a non-paying ad account has any practical effect.
The petty feud gets technical
So here’s the thing. This isn’t really about advertising money. The EU says it doesn’t spend any on X. This is a deeply petty, post-fine retaliation wrapped in a bizarre technical accusation. Bier claims the EU used an “exploit” in the ad composer. The post in question is the Commission’s announcement of its $140 million fine against X, which includes a video. On desktop, it seems to work normally. On mobile, according to Gizmodo’s tests, tapping the play button doesn’t pause the video—it links directly to the press release about the fine. Is that an “exploit”? Or is it just a weird, possibly buggy implementation of X’s own video card feature? It’s hard to say without X explaining, which they haven’t. The Commission’s stance is basically: we used your tool, you figure it out.
The grey checkmark conundrum
This gets weirder when you look at account status. The European Commission’s X account has a grey checkmark, which X reserves for governments and multilateral organizations. X’s own help pages say some of these accounts “may be subscribed to Premium Organizations.” But the Commission insists it’s not paying. So how did they access “Post Composer,” a tool under the X Business umbrella? Did the grey checkmark come with some legacy access? Was it a glitch? The Commission didn’t clarify, and X isn’t talking. It creates this absurd situation where X is banning an ad account that may not have technically existed as a paying entity, over a post that uses a feature the platform provided. The whole thing feels less like enforcement and more like throwing a digital tantrum.
A power play with no clear winner
Let’s be real. This is a power play. The EU flexes its regulatory muscle with a massive fine. X’s response is to find the tiniest, most technical possible “violation” to strike back, hoping to paint the Commission as a hypocrite. But the narrative backfired instantly because the EU just said, “We don’t advertise here, remember?” It makes X look reactive and petty. And it highlights the chaotic, often contradictory nature of X’s own policies around verification, profile labels, and business tools. Who’s winning? Probably the lawyers. And anyone who enjoys watching a train wreck in slow motion. The only certainty is that this toxic relationship between platform and regulator is far from over.
