The US government is seeking to join Elon Musk's legal challenge to overturn a €120m (£105m) EU fine against X. The fine was issued by the European Commission in December 2025, which stated the platform "deceives users" by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark without "meaningfully verifying" who is behind the account.
US Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate stated on Thursday that the Commission had "inappropriately attempted" to expand its reach to American companies outside its control. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an application with the EU's General Court in support of Musk's and X's attempts to dismiss the case.
The DOJ claims that a state may intervene in disputes before the court if it "can establish an interest in the result of the case to the court." It stated the US "has a clear interest" in ensuring any Commission decision is applied consistently with "how territorial jurisdiction is generally understood in international law." The DOJ also aims to prevent prejudice against US-headquartered digital services that "contribute significantly" to its economy.
In addition to the blue ticks, EU regulators accused X of failing to provide transparency around its adverts and denying researchers access to public data. Henna Virkkunen, the regulator's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, said the Commission was "holding X responsible for undermining users' rights and evading accountability."