US seeks to join Musk’s fight against EU fine

The US has requested permission from the EU's General Court to intervene on behalf of Elon Musk and his platform X, which are contesting a 120 million euro fine imposed by Brussels. The fine was issued in December 2025 for breaching EU's online content regulations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, which entered into force in 2024, mandates platforms to enhance transparency, tackle illegal and harmful content, and disclose more about their operational transparency.

Penalties for violations can reach up to six percent of a corporation's global annual revenue. The US Justice Department has filed an application at the EU's second-highest court to annul the decision, the first fine ever imposed under the DSA. The Digital Services Act has become a point of contention between the United States and the EU, where the US administration and the tech industry view it as a tool of censorship, a claim the EU refutes.

The European Commission accused X of improper attempts to extend its regulatory authority to American companies not physically present within its jurisdiction. The fine was levied for breaching transparency obligations, using deceptive design in the platform's blue checkmark system, and denying researchers access to public data.