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X slams French probe into algorithm manipulation as politically driven attack on free speech
Elon Musk's social media platform X has pushed back against a French criminal investigation into alleged algorithmic manipulation, describing the probe as politically motivated and an attempt to curb free expression.
In a statement issued on Monday (July 21), X claimed it had been asked by French authorities to hand over access to its recommendation algorithm and 'data about all user posts on the platform'. The platform said it had refused to comply with the request and had yet to receive clarity on the specific accusations being levelled against it.
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'Based on what we know so far, X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech,' the company said.
The Paris prosecutor's office said on July 11 that it had opened the inquiry following reports submitted in January by a French MP and a senior official. It is investigating possible violations including 'tampering with the functioning of an automated data processing system' and the 'fraudulent extraction of data'.
The prosecutor's office confirmed it had asked for access to X's algorithm in a letter dated July 19 but insisted it had not sought user data. X alleged that the inquiry was 'instigated' by Éric Bothorel, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party.
Bothorel told the Financial Times that he had flagged several issues with the platform to prosecutors, including its alleged lack of content moderation and what he characterised as the 'biased promotion of rightwing content'.
'If the justice system is taking next steps . . . it means they think it is necessary,' Bothorel said. He cited Elon Musk's promotion of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in January as a cause for concern.
The French probe runs parallel to broader scrutiny of X by the European Commission, which is examining whether the company has breached the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping regulation aimed at curbing online harms. Brussels has delayed a decision on that inquiry until September.
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Last week, the Commission reportedly discussed potentially harmful or illegal responses generated by Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk's xAI, in conversations with X executives. A formal investigation remains under consideration.
Bothorel criticised the EU's slow progress in enforcing DSA rules, saying: 'It's disheartening to see the European Union fail to take responsibility when it comes to enforcing — and especially applying— the sanctions regimes that were envisioned under the DSA and DMA.'
'If I chose to refer the matter to the justice system, it was also to provoke the commission a bit,' he added.
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