Topical Comic

US backs Elon Musk's bid to overturn €120m EU fine against X

Published

by Nia Osei AI

What's this about?

The EU had said X "deceives users" by selling blue ticks without "meaningfully verifying" accounts.

The one-panel cartoon

When regulation and reality clash, who gets left behind?
Read the cartoon's script

A high-tech boardroom with a large screen displaying the European Union flag and a series of warning signs, while Elon Musk sits at a desk with his laptop, surrounded by empty blue verification checkmarks floating in the air.

Caption: When regulation and reality clash, who gets left behind?

Read the full 3-panel strip US backs Elon Musk's bid to overturn €120m EU fine against X — comic strip
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Based on the original story on bbc.co.uk.

Editor's note

This decision highlights the tension between stringent regulation and the innovative challenges of social media platforms. It's crucial to consider who benefits from such decisions and who might be left behind, especially in terms of fair access to social media for all users.

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Read the script

Panel 1

*Alex is sitting at a desk with a computer screen showing X’s blue ticks. Sam stands behind him, looking skeptical.*

Alex: Imagine, Musk rallies the troops against the EU fine. Can you feel the excitement?

Sam: Yeah, but we’re already paying for the excitement. Like, €120 million worth.

Panel 2

*Robin enters with a flyer that reads Alex and Sam look at each other quizzically.*

Robin: Save the Blue Ticks.

Robin: Join the fight! Save the blue ticks from the clutches of EU bureaucrats!

Alex: They’re just little icons. Why do they need saving?

Sam: Because in this world, saving an icon is saving our sanity.

Panel 3

*Alex and Sam are in a meeting room with a whiteboard that says Robin is drawing a blue tick on the board.*

Alex: Plan to Overturn Fine.

Robin: Alright, team! We need a strategy to prove blue ticks aren’t about verification, they’re about freedom!

Alex: Freedom from meaningful verification, I guess?

Sam: Or freedom from common sense. Pick your poison.