French authorities have launched a criminal investigation into social media platform X, accusing the company of algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction. The probe, which was initiated by French MP Eric Bothorel, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, has sparked a public backlash from X, which has labeled the probe as politically motivated and an attack on free speech.
X’s Global Government Affairs team stated that the investigation was instigated by Bothorel, who has previously been critical of the platform, accusing it of spreading hate speech and extremist content that influences France’s political discourse. The probe, which kicked off in January, alleges that X’s algorithm is being used for foreign interference. X has denied all of the accusations, stating that the investigation is distorting French law to serve a political agenda and restrict free speech.
According to the platform, French authorities had asked X to grant them a recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts to be handed over to experts who were overtly hostile to the platform. X also protested being investigated as an organized gang, a classification that allows French police to use extensive powers, including wiretoping employees’ devices. The platform stressed it has refused the authorities’ demands.
The probe echoes another high-profile case in France involving Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Durov, a Russian-born tech billionaire, was arrested in the country last summer and charged with offenses linked to Telegram’s handling of illegal content, including child exploitation material and narcotics trafficking. Durov has dismissed the allegations as baseless, accusing Paris of pursuing a crusade against free speech and progress while warning that the probe could damage the French economy.