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

US Intervention in EU Fine Case

The US government has intervened in the case of the €120m EU fine imposed on X, a social media platform owned by Elon Musk. The fine was imposed in December 2025 by the European Commission, which accused X of deceiving users by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark without meaningfully verifying who is behind the account. The commission also accused X of failing to provide transparency around its adverts and denying researchers access to public data.

Background of the Fine

The fine was imposed under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark digital rule that requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content and to be more transparent about how their systems work. According to the European Commission, the DSA is intended to protect the EU's digital and democratic standards. The US tech industry and the Trump administration have cast the DSA as a tool of censorship, a charge the EU rejects. As Henna Virkkunen, the regulator's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, said, "Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU."

US Department of Justice Application

The US Department of Justice has filed an application with the EU's General Court in support of Musk's and X's attempts to dismiss the case. The application argues that the commission had "inappropriately attempted" to expand its reach to American companies outside its control. As Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said, "The European Commission inappropriately attempted to expand its regulatory authority to reach American companies not present or operating within its jurisdiction." The DOJ claims that under a section of law in the Statute of the Court of Justice of the EU, a state may intervene in disputes before the court if it "can establish an interest in the result of the case to the court". The US "has a clear interest" in ensuring any decision by the commission was applied consistently with "how territorial jurisdiction is generally understood in international law".

Reactions to the Fine

The fine has been criticized by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused the EU regulator of attacking and censoring US firms. Rubio wrote in a post on X, "The European Commission's fine isn't just an attack on X, it's an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments." The European Commission has denied these allegations, stating that it is simply protecting its digital and democratic standards.

Other Investigations into X

The EU is also conducting several other investigations into X, including one into its integrated AI assistant Grok over concerns it was used to create sexualised images of real people. X has already relabelled its blue checkmarks "premium" instead of "verified" and has moved to comply with the commission's decision. In July, the commission accepted X's plan to remedy the violations, which includes widening researchers' access to data, such as advertising information, with the changes subject to an independent audit.

Detail	Information
Fine Amount	€120m
Date of Fine	December 2025
Reason for Fine	Deceptive design in paid blue checkmark system, failure to provide transparency around adverts, and denying researchers access to public data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Digital Services Act (DSA)?

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a landmark digital rule that requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content and to be more transparent about how their systems work.

Why was the €120m fine imposed on X?

The €120m fine was imposed on X for deceiving users by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark without meaningfully verifying who is behind the account, failing to provide transparency around its adverts, and denying researchers access to public data.

What is the US Department of Justice's position on the fine?

The US Department of Justice has filed an application with the EU's General Court in support of Musk's and X's attempts to dismiss the case, arguing that the commission had "inappropriately attempted" to expand its reach to American companies outside its control.

The next step in the case will be the EU's General Court ruling on the US Department of Justice's application to intervene in the case. According to Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, "We will not tolerate the European Commission engaging in regulatory overreach to try and control American engines of innovation and economic growth." The outcome of this case will be a key indicator of the ongoing tensions between the US and EU over digital regulation.