US seeks to join Musk's fight against EU fine

On Thursday, the United States requested permission from the European Union's General Court to support Elon Musk and his social media platform X in their attempt to overturn a €120-million ($136 million) fine imposed by Brussels. The fine was levied under the Digital Services Act (DSA) for violations related to transparency, deceptive design, and restricted researcher access to public data.

The US Justice Department filed an application at the EU's second-highest court, backing Musk and X's bid to annul the December 2025 decision, marking the inaugural fine under the DSA. The Digital Services Act, enacted fully in 2024, mandates platforms to enhance efforts against illegal and harmful content and increases transparency regarding their system workings.

Fines can reach up to 6 percent of a company's global annual turnover. The US administration and tech industry have criticized the DSA as a tool of censorship, a claim the EU rejects, stating that the European Commission improperly sought to extend its regulatory scope to American companies outside its jurisdiction. X, headquartered in Ireland, appealed the fine in February, asserting that it infringes on due process rights.

The company has since agreed to remedy the violations, including expanding researcher access to data such as advertising information, subject to an independent audit.