
Elon Musk's X platform investigated in France for alleged data tampering and fraud
PARIS — French prosecutors have launched a police investigation into alleged data tampering and fraud involving X, Elon Musk's social media platform.
The Paris prosecutor's office, in a statement Friday, announced the opening of the investigation, and said that a branch of the French gendarmerie is conducting the inquiry.
The investigation is looking into two alleged offenses 'in particular' — organized tampering with the functioning of an automated data processing system, and organized fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system, the statement said.
It didn't give details of the alleged wrongdoing. It said that the investigation is targeting both the platform and people, without naming them or saying what role they might have within X.
The prosecutor's office said that it was acting on information that two people provided in January to its cybercrimes unit. One of them is a member of parliament, and the other is a senior official in a French government institution. It didn't identify them or the institution.
It said the two people alleged the suspected use of X's algorithm for the 'purposes of foreign interference.' It didn't detail the alleged interference or how the algorithm was allegedly used.
The prosecutor's office said that it decided this week to open the police investigation, after conducting its own 'verifications' and having received additional information from French researchers and 'various public institutions.'
The Associated Press has emailed X's press office, seeking comment.
___
Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Such a shame': B.C. animal charity receives fraudulent $95K donation
One of the hundreds of cats in the care of a B.C. rescue, which was recently the target of a scam, is shown in this image. A Richmond, B.C., animal shelter thought it had struck it big after receiving an email about a large donation – but it turned out to be part of an elaborate scam. In late June, the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) was contacted by someone posing as a law firm employee, claiming a person had left the organization a $95,000 donation in their will. A few days later, a cheque, seemingly from the Ontario Ministry of Finance, arrived in the mail. RAPS president Catherine Ellsmere said the cheque was deposited, and construction began at the charity's cat sanctuary, which houses more than 400 animals. But several days later, the organization received another email from the fake lawyer, claiming there had been a mistake and the donation was only meant to be $25,000. The fraudster asked RAPS to send back the remaining $70,000. 'Luckily, that same day the bank called and said the cheque was fraudulent, so no money was sent on our behalf,' Ellsmere told CTV News. Although RAPS didn't send any money to the scammers, the organization had already launched projects based on the assumption it had received the full amount. Ellsmere said they are now out about $25,000. 'It is very disheartening,' she said.'Everyone is getting targeted with fraudulent activities. But with charities, it is literally donor dollars given to us to use in a positive way. It doesn't get much worse than that, taking food out of the mouths of all of the animals here. It's such a shame.' Ellsmere said she hopes sharing their story will help other charities avoid a similar fate. 'We want to make them aware that it's out there, that it's happening,' she said. The case is now being investigated by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Anyone who wishes to donate to RAPS can do so through its website.

Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Man who defrauded investors sentenced to five years, ordered to repay more than $7.75-million
Ontario's securities watchdog says a former Ottawa resident who targeted hundreds of investors across the country has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $7.75-million in fraud proceeds. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto convicted Stéphane Gagnon of fraud over $5,000 and using a forged document, the Ontario Securities Commission said Wednesday. Mr. Gagnon received more than $20-million from more than 300 investors across Canada between Aug. 1, 2015, and May 31, 2021, he admitted in a statement to the court. He promised to help people access funds in their locked-in retirement accounts if they invested the money in his company, but wound up using a significant portion of the proceeds for other purposes, the OSC said. He also admitted to forging legal letters. The charges stem from his role as the sole officer and director of 8565287 Canada Inc., which operated under several names, including Unlock My RSP, SMAP Financial Service, the Loan Shop and the Finance Company. Opinion: Are Canada's corporate and securities laws no longer fit for purpose? The OSC's Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team brought the case. Mr. Gagnon was arrested in Bali in 2023, after Interpol contacted police there to inform them he was wanted on forgery and fraud charges, according to The Jakarta Post. 'Today's decision is a significant outcome for Ontario's investors who were harmed by Mr. Gagnon's actions,' Bonnie Lysyk, the OSC's executive vice-president of enforcement, said in a statement. 'Where the OSC sees evidence of harm, we will take action to protect investors, and the integrity of our capital markets. We are pleased with the judgment of the Superior Court and thank everyone involved in this case.'


CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Brampton man charged in ‘romance scam' that defrauded victims of more than $250K: police
A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy Halton police have arrested a Brampton man in connection with a romance scam that investigators say cost its victims more than $250,000. The investigation began with an alleged theft of cheques from a business in Burlington. Police say that the stolen cheques were deposited into a spoof bank account which led investigators to a 'large scale romance scam that utilized various online dating platforms and involved the same suspect.' According to police, the scam had three victims in Canada and one in the United States. Halton Regional Police say that the suspect used a variety of aliases, including 'Donald Duke, Nathan Douglas, and Peter Anderson.' On Wednesday, police arrested a suspect they believed to be behind the fraud. Investigators found fraudulent documents and other evidence during the execution of a search warrant. Osarumwense Irabor, 49, has been charged with possession of a forged passport, fraud over $5000, money laundering, and three other charges.