Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on French probe against Elon Musk's Twitter: ‘At this point, any tech company…'
Elon Musk
owned X (formerly Twitter) for alleged algorithm manipulation. The social media platform denied the allegations, calling it 'a politically-motivated criminal investigation'. Responding to the news,
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
has now shared an X post where he said that 'at this point, any tech company can be declared a 'criminal gang' in France". Durov further stated that such investigations can be harmful for attracting investments.
'A decade of efforts to attract tech investment is being undone by a few bureaucrats advancing their careers and political agendas — at the expense of the French people,' he wrote in the post.
Why French lawmakers are probing Twitter
Earlier this month, French prosecutors opened a preliminary probe into the social media platform, accusing it of data tampering. Based on suspected algorithmic bias and fraudulent data extraction, the probe authorizes police to conduct searches, wiretaps and surveillance against Elon Musk and Twitter executives, or summon them to testify. If they do not comply, a judge could issue an arrest warrant, a Reuters report said.
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Twitter responds to French probe
Responding to the probe, X Global Government Affairs account wrote on X:
'French authorities have launched a politically-motivated criminal investigation into X over the alleged manipulation of its algorithm and alleged 'fraudulent data extraction.' X categorically denies these allegations.'
The post further continued 'This investigation, instigated by French politician Eric Bothorel, egregiously undermines X's fundamental right to due process and threatens our users' rights to privacy and free speech. Mr Bothorel has accused X of manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes, an allegation which is completely false.'
'X is committed to defending its fundamental rights, protecting user data and resisting political censorship,' the post concluded.
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