X rejects French demands and slams criminal probe as politically motivated
The platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk has rejected France’s demands for access to X's recommendation algorithm and real-time user data, citing a “politically-motivated criminal investigation.”
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The platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk has rejected France’s demands for access to X's recommendation algorithm and real-time user data, citing a “politically-motivated criminal investigation.”
X has rejected French authorities’ allegations over algorithm manipulation and says that the investigation “undermines X’s fundamental right to due process and threatens our users’ rights to privacy and free speech.”
On July 11th, 2025, French prosecutors announced they opened a criminal investigation following reports from a member of Parliament and a senior official regarding the alleged use of X’s (formerly Twitter’s) algorithm for foreign interference.
Investigators are focusing on alleged offenses such as the alteration of an automated data processing system and the fraudulent extraction of data from this system “by an organized gang.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office specified the X platform, a legal entity, and “individuals” as the subjects of the investigation, based on contributions from French researchers and other evidence provided by “various public institutions.”
“X categorically denies these allegations,” the social media giant said on Monday.
For the past two years, X has been investigated by European regulators for possible breaches of content moderation and digital services laws. French lawmaker Eric Bothorel previously raised concerns over threats to democracies posed by the platform.
Another complaint previously alleged that X is full of “hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+ and homophobic political content, which aims to skew the democratic debate in France.”
“Mr. Bothorel has accused X of manipulating its algorithm for ‘foreign interference’ purposes, an allegation which is completely false,” X’s Global Government Affairs team writes.
X expressed frustration over being investigated under the “organized gang” classification reserved for drug cartels and the mafia.
The social media giant stated that this characterization enables the French police to deploy extensive investigative powers, “including wiretapping the personal devices of X employees.”
X says it remains “in the dark as to the specific allegations made against the platform,” it has not acceded to authorities’ demands, and is “committed to fundamental rights, protecting user data and resisting political censorship.”
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.
undefined Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) July 21, 2025
This investigation, instigated by French politician Eric…
The preliminary probe enlisted the National Gendarmerie, one of the country's two national law enforcement forces, to investigate the case.
According to Reuters, Musk, a former ally of US President Donald Trump, previously has voiced support for some of the far-right parties in Europe and has accused the region’s governments of attacking free speech.
The X platform also named some other individuals who demonstrated hostility towards X and encouraged its users to leave the platform, as being behind the probe.
“The involvement of these individuals raises serious concerns about the impartiality, fairness, and political motivations of the investigation, to put it charitably. A predetermined outcome is not a fair one,” X post reads.
However, Reuters reports that Maziyar Panahi, one of the individuals described by X as exhibiting “open hostility,” has denied any involvement in the investigation.