Dirty Democracy EU's Smear Campaign against Elon Musk’s Grok AI

 

The European Commission vs. Elon Musk: Bureaucracy, Bias, and the "Smear Campaign" Against Grok

There is a deepening democratic deficit within the European Union, and it is manifesting through a series of "dirty tricks" aimed at the platform X and its owner, Elon Musk. The latest escalation is not just a regulatory dispute; it is a calculated campaign to delegitimize Musk’s AI, Grok, and silence one of the world's most vocal critics of the Brussels bureaucracy.

The Digital Services Act: A Targeted Fine

The friction reached a boiling point in December 2025 when the European Commission issued a €120 million fine against X. The Commission alleged breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), specifically targeting the platform’s blue checkmarks as "deceptive" and citing a lack of advertising transparency. However, the timing and nature of this fine suggest a political motive rather than a purely regulatory one. Elon Musk’s public call for the Commission to be disbanded in favor of a directly elected body has clearly "miffed" the federalists in Brussels who hold the majority of the power.

The Smear Campaign Against Grok

Following the fine, the rhetoric shifted toward Musk’s AI, Grok. The Commission has recently alleged that Grok is generating illegal content, including anti-semitic imagery. This is a deliberate attempt to tarnish Grok's image globally.

Elon Musk has been clear: Grok does not spontaneously generate imagery; it responds to user requests and is programmed to obey the laws of the country in which it operates. Any "unexpected" results from adversarial hacking are fixed immediately. To order X to retain all internal data relating to Grok through the end of 2026 is a petty and retaliatory move.

Democratic Deficit and the Need for Accountability

The European Union often points the finger at authoritarian regimes, yet it must first "clear the beam" in its own eye. The current system is ruled by an unelected commission and a president who is not directly accountable to the 450 million citizens of Europe. While a market of that size is difficult to walk away from, the European Commission’s resort to smear campaigns against a billionaire who calls for more democracy proves that the institution is feeling threatened. As this union grows stronger, the need for transparency and genuine democratic reform has never been more urgent.