The Trump administration sided with Elon Musk in his dispute with the European Union, arguing Brussels overstepped by imposing a €120 million fine on X under the Digital Services Act.
The U.S. position represents a shift in stance toward the EU's aggressive regulation of major tech platforms. Washington contends that the DSA fine—levied for X's alleged non-compliance with content moderation and transparency requirements—constitutes regulatory overreach.
The fine was issued in October after EU authorities found X failed to provide adequate information about its content moderation practices and fact-checking systems. Brussels also cited the platform's handling of disinformation.
Musk has repeatedly criticized the DSA, claiming it infringes on free speech and imposes unrealistic compliance demands on platforms. The Trump administration's backing gives him political ammunition in ongoing negotiations with EU regulators.
The dispute highlights growing tension between U.S. and European approaches to tech regulation. The EU has pursued stricter rules on content, algorithmic transparency, and data protection, while Washington has generally favored lighter regulation and industry self-governance.
The outcome could influence how aggressively the EU pursues enforcement actions against other U.S.-based tech companies.
Mark Zuckerberg argues that Ray-Ban Meta glasses are more transparent about photo-taking than smartphones because they feature a visible light indicator. He's made this point in multiple recent interviews.
A federal appeals court has upheld the Department of Defense's blacklisting of Anthropic, ruling that integrating Claude AI into DOD systems poses a national security risk under federal statute.
The Trump administration has requested that OpenAI and Anthropic withhold new AI models from the UK's primary testing agency pending US government review.
The Trump Administration filed legal support for X's challenge against a European Union fine issued under the Digital Services Act. Trump has characterized the penalty as "overseas extortion."