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France Launches Criminal Investigation into Elon Musk’s X Over Alleged Algorithm Manipulation
July 11, 2025
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X amid allegations of algorithm manipulation aimed at foreign interference. The national gendarmerie will lead the probe, announced by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the investigation targets X as a legal entity as well as unnamed individuals. The potential offenses under scrutiny include:
“Alteration of the operation” of an automated data processing system.
“Fraudulent extraction of data” carried out by an organized group.
Beccuau explained the investigation follows verifications and contributions from French researchers and public institutions.
The probe builds on an initial inquiry launched in February after reports from the cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor’s office. These reports were filed by a senior official (believed to be a cybersecurity manager) from a French public institution and by French MP Éric Bothorel.
Bothorel welcomed the progression of the investigation, expressing concern about the recent Grok AI chatbot update on X, which he criticized for promoting “questionable, even nauseating, content.”
On July 9, X took down its automated AI chatbot account after it spread antisemitic narratives—a recurring issue. The European Commission is actively communicating with X regarding these concerns.
Bothorel expressed broader worries:
“I was convinced that information bias, which is particularly strong on the X platform, was serving Elon Musk’s political opinions, and that this could only be achieved through algorithmic manipulation.”
He emphasized his role as both a member of parliament and a citizen opposing any interference from Moscow, Silicon Valley, or others in democratic discourse. Bothorel also praised the cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office, suggesting it may need bolstering as cyber threats rise.
Prosecutor Beccuau has experience handling high-profile cyber cases, including the hacking forum BreachForums and an ongoing investigation into Telegram and its CEO Pavel Durov. Durov was arrested in France but has since been allowed to leave for Dubai, with the investigation still active.
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