US Seeks to Join X’s Challenge to €120 Million EU Fine

The U.S. government has asked the European Union’s General Court to let it intervene in Elon Musk and X’s legal challenge to a €120 million penalty imposed under the EU Digital Services Act.

The Justice Department, which consulted the State Department before filing its application, argued that the European Commission had improperly extended its regulatory authority over American companies. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said the United States would oppose what he called regulatory overreach targeting American technology businesses. The Luxembourg-based court will decide whether the U.S. may join the cases.

The European Commission said Friday that it would continue pursuing the fine. The penalty, issued in December 2025, was the first under the Digital Services Act. The Commission found that X’s paid blue-check system was deceptive, its advertising repository failed transparency requirements, and the platform had not provided researchers adequate access to public data.

Musk and X appealed in February, alleging that the EU investigation was incomplete, that officials misinterpreted the law and that the proceedings showed bias. X has separately proposed changes addressing some of the Commission’s concerns. In July, the Commission accepted a plan that included clarifying that blue checks indicate premium status rather than identity verification and improving researcher access to data. Those commitments did not end the appeal against the original fine.