Elon Musk’s social media platform X has refused to cooperate with a criminal investigation launched by French prosecutors, claiming the probe is politically motivated and threatens free speech.
The investigation, which began earlier this month, centres on allegations that X’s algorithm was manipulated for the purposes of foreign interference and that there was fraudulent data extraction from the platform.
Paris prosecutors have authorised police to conduct searches, wiretaps and surveillance against Musk and X executives, or summon them to testify. Failure to comply could result in a fine or obstruction of justice charges.
X has strongly denied all allegations. In a statement posted on its Global Government Affairs account, the company said, “X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.” The company added, “For these reasons, X has not acceded to the French authorities’ demands, as we have a legal right to do.”
The probe was initiated following complaints from Eric Bothorel, a centrist member of parliament and a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s party. Bothorel accused X of “manipulating its algorithm for ‘foreign interference’ purposes” and warned of “a reduction in the diversity of voices and options” on the platform since Musk’s takeover in 2022. He also criticised what he described as a “lack of clarity in criteria that led to algorithm changes and moderation decisions” and pointed to “personal interventions from Elon Musk in the management of his platform”.
Bothorel defended the independence of the French judiciary, stating, “France is committed to free speech but not without limits. The absence of responsibility and oversight endangers freedom just as much as prohibitions and censorship do.”
French authorities have requested access to X’s recommendation algorithm and user data for analysis by experts, including David Chavalarias, director of the Paris Complex Systems Institute, and Maziyar Panahi, an artificial intelligence platform leader at the same institute.
X has raised concerns about the impartiality of these experts, noting Chavalarias’s involvement in a campaign encouraging users to leave X and alleging “open hostility” from Panahi. Panahi, however, denied involvement in the investigation, stating, “My name was mentioned by mistake, based on my previous research projects with David Chavalarias, none of which have ever had any hostile intent toward X.”
The European Commission has also been investigating X for potential breaches of the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to address illegal content and disinformation.
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