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The US government has filed an application with the European Union’s General Court to support Elon Musk's legal challenge against a €120 million fine imposed on X by the EU for misleading users about its blue verification badges and other practices. The U.S. Department of Justice argues that this case could set a precedent affecting American companies’ operations abroad, seeking to ensure consistency with international jurisdiction norms.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In December 2025, the European Commission fined X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, €120 million (£105m, $137m) for allowing users to purchase blue verified checkmarks without meaningful verification of their identities. The commission deemed this practice "deceptive" and a violation of EU digital regulations. In response, the US government has filed an application with the EU's General Court in support of Musk’s bid to dismiss the case. US Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate argued that the EU was inappropriately extending its regulatory reach beyond its jurisdiction over American companies. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that it has a clear interest in ensuring consistent application of territorial jurisdiction and preventing regulatory overreach by the EU on American firms.
Written for “Elon Musk Eu Fine” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
The US government is seeking to join Elon Musk's legal challenge to overturn a €120m (£105m) EU fine against X over its blue tick badges.
asserted
government → publish → badges
In December 2025, the European Commission said the platform "deceives users" by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark, because it is not "meaningfully verifying" who is behind the account.
But US Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said on Thursday that the commission had "inappropriately attempted" to expand its reach to American companies outside its control.
asserted
commission → say → control
Musk, who spent millions helping elect Donald Trump and other Republicans, has previously claimed EU tech regulation "inhibits progress" for companies.
asserted
regulation → spend → companies
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an application, external with the EU's General Court in support of Musk's and X's attempts to dismiss the case.
asserted
Department → file → case
It 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".
uncertain
it → claim → court
The DOJ said 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".
It also wants to make sure it would not "otherwise prejudice" US-headquartered digital services that "contribute significantly" to its economy.
asserted
that → say → economy
The European Commission has been contacted for comment.
asserted
Commission → contact → comment
In addition to its use of blue ticks, EU regulators accused X of failing to provide transparency around its adverts and denying researchers access to public data.
asserted
regulators → accuse → data
Henna Virkkunen, the regulator's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, said at the time of the fine's issue it was "holding X responsible for undermining users' rights and evading accountability".
asserted
X → say → accountability
"Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU," she said.
asserted
she → deceive → EU
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had criticised the EU regulator, accusing it of attacking and censoring US firms.
asserted
Rubio → criticise → firms
"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," Rubio wrote in a post on X.
"
asserted
Rubio → write → X.
The days of censoring Americans online are over."
asserted
days → censor → Americans
His remarks were reposted by Musk, who added "absolutely".
asserted
who → reposte → Musk
The European Commission denied targeting any specific nationality, stating it is simply protecting its digital and democratic standards to maintain its role as a global benchmark.
asserted
it → deny → benchmark
The action marked the Commission's first official non-compliance decision under the Digital Services Act (DSA), one of two mandatory rulebooks governing online platforms in the EU.
asserted
action → mark → EU
However, the EU is also conducting several other investigations into the platform, including one into its integrated AI assistant Grok over concerns it was used to create sexualised images of real people.
asserted
it → conduct → people
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