WASHINGTON (December 8, 2025) – The European Commission just issued its first Digital Services Act penalty. The EU fined Elon Musk’s X €120 million for misleading users, failing to maintain a functional ad transparency library, and restricting researcher access. Musk has 60–90 business days to make changes. If he does not, he will face additional penalties. The decision heightens U.S.–EU tensions but also reflects internal pressure for tougher, faster platform oversight.
David Broniatowski, professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the George Washington University, knows that enforcement actions like these tend to miss the deeper issue: platforms are built on architectures that allow harmful information to spread at scale.
Broniatowski can speak to how the X ruling highlights the limits of moderation tweaks and why structural standards may offer a more effective path forward.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Broniatowski, please contact Claire Sabin at claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-