Elon Musk, tech billionaire and owner of the social media platform X, rarely shies away from an argument.
He has embarked on public spats with many people, from fellow Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sam Altman to US President Donald Trump.
The latest target of his ire is the European Union, which he has called a "bureaucratic monster" that "should be abolished".
So, what's going on?
On Friday, the bloc fined Musk's X platform 120 million euros ($210 million) for breaching the Digital Services Act, a key piece of legislation aimed at curbing harmful online content.
Now several US politicians have weighed in, including the US president himself, who has called the levy "a nasty one".
Let's break down how the drama unfolded.
Why has the EU fined X?
The EU's Digital Services Act came into force in 2022, creating a legal framework for content moderation, transparency and accountability for tech firms to adhere to.
In December 2023, the EU opened formal proceedings to assess whether X breached the new law.
It wanted to investigate measures X was taking to stop the spread of illegal content and misinformation, as well as check advertising transparency.
On Friday, the European Commission issued its decision, stating X had breached the law on three separate occasions and faced a 120 million euro fine.
The first related to "deceiving users with blue check-marks", which are known colloquially as blue ticks by users of the site.
Before Musk acquired X, when it was previously known as Twitter, verification badges were largely reserved for celebrities, politicians and other influential people, such as Beyoncé, Barack Obama and Pope Francis.
When the site changed hands, badges were issued for anyone who paid $8 per month.
Regulators said that meant "anyone" could pay without X "meaningfully verifying who is behind the account".
They said it amounted to "deceptive design practices" which could expose users to scams and manipulation, including impersonation frauds.
The second breach related to a shortfall in the transparency requirements for its ad database.
Platforms in the EU are required to provide a database of all the digital advertisements they have carried, with details such as who paid for them and the intended audience, to help researchers detect scams, fake ads and coordinated influence campaigns.
But X's database is undermined by design features and access barriers such as "excessive delays in processing", the commission said.
Finally, the commission found X put up "unnecessary barriers" for researchers trying to access public data.
X also remains under investigation over tackling the spread of illegal content and information manipulation.
How did Musk react?
In response to the fine, Musk reacted angrily, replying under a European Commission post announcing the fine.
He then posted to his 230 million followers on X that the EU should be "abolished."
He later posted: "The people of Europe should withdraw from the EU to regain their sovereignty."
"I love Europe, but not the bureaucratic monster that is the EU," Musk went on to say.
He then re-shared mocking the EU, including one suggesting the EU was the "Fourth Reich".
Which US officials have weighed in?
Numerous US officials have condemned the EU's fine, including Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump called the fine "a nasty one" and said he did not understand how they could justify the move at a White House press conference on Monday.
"Europe is going in some bad directions," he told reporters, saying he expected to get a full report on the EU fine soon.
Rubio also condemned the move, posting on his X account that the commission's fine was akin to an attack on the American people.
"The European Commission's $140 million fine isn't just an attack on @X, it's an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments," he wrote.
"The days of censoring Americans online are over."
Just before the EU's decision, Vance also posted on X, accusing the commission of infringing on free speech.
"The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage," he wrote.
X did not respond immediately to an email request for comment.
What has the EU said?
EU officials denied the rules were intended to silence large tech companies, and that the fines were fairly implemented.
"It's part of freedom of speech to put out even completely crazy statements," EU chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said.
The commission is "not targeting anyone, not targeting any company, not targeting any jurisdictions based on their colour or their country of origin," spokesman Thomas Regnier said.
"Absolutely not. This is based on a process, a democratic process."
Germany's digital minister Karsten Wildberger agreed, saying the bloc's digital rules "apply to everyone, no matter where they come from".
France's digital affairs minister Anne Le Henanff hailed the EU's "historic" decision.
"By sanctioning X, Europe shows it is capable of moving from words to action," she said.
ABC
