X suspends the EU Commission’s advertising account over a misleading video post. Post disguised an external link as a native video to boost reach.
X has terminated the European Commission’s advertising account after the EU body ran a paid promotion that disguised an external link as a video to boost reach.
This comes weeks after Brussels fined X €15 million for alleged lack of transparency in its blue-check subscriptions and ad policies.
Internal sources say the EU’s digital team uploaded what appeared to be a standard video about new content-moderation guidelines.
In reality, it was a static image with a clickable overlay redirecting users to an EU website outside X.
This “link-in-video” method tricks X’s algorithm into treating the post as a video, giving higher organic reach while still charging for promotion.
The suspension followed user reports and community notes highlighting the mismatch between the thumbnail and actual link behaviour.
X said that disguising external links as video content violates its advertising rules, and no advertiser — even government bodies — is exempt.
Spokespersons defended the approach, saying the format is common in industry and widely used to drive traffic.
They noted similar campaigns run on other platforms without issues.
The EU Commission can no longer run promoted posts, recruitment campaigns, or public-safety announcements on X across all 27 member states.
Ongoing campaigns on digital services regulation and upcoming elections have been paused indefinitely.
This incident follows last month’s €15 million fine against X over its paid verification system, accused of misleading some users about authority.
Critics point out the irony: the same regulator that penalised X used a borderline tactic to amplify its own message.
Analysts note that “fake video cards” are widespread because platforms historically reward video content with better algorithmic placement.
Some news outlets and government agencies continue using similar formats on other platforms without penalties.
X has not said if the suspension is permanent or if the EU Commission can regain ad privileges after fixing the format.
Meanwhile, the EU has moved remaining ad budgets to alternative platforms where campaigns using the same style remain active.
The episode has sparked debate over inconsistent enforcement of ad rules and whether government entities should face the same scrutiny as commercial advertisers.
