X Faces Criminal Investigation in France

France has opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X over allegations that it manipulated its algorithms to facilitate foreign interference and spread hateful, racist, and politically biased content aimed at distorting democratic debate in France.

The investigation was announced by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau on July 9, 2025, following complaints filed in January 2025 by a French lawmaker, Éric Bothorel, and a senior cybersecurity official from a French public institution.

The probe is being conducted by the national gendarmerie's cybercrime unit and targets both X as a corporate entity and unnamed individuals associated with the platform.

The main offenses under investigation include the "alteration of the operation" of an automated data processing system and the "fraudulent extraction of data" by an organized group, which under French law can be considered criminal hacking, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $350,000.

Éric Bothorel, who filed one of the complaints, expressed concern that the platform's algorithmic bias serves Elon Musk's political opinions and warned that this manipulation poses a threat to democratic discourse.

French authorities are examining whether X modified its content algorithms to promote far-right ideologies and favored posts from far-right candidates during recent European elections.

The European Union Commission is also investigating Musk for alleged violations related to information manipulation under the Digital Services Act.

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