France has opened an investigation into whether Elon Musk's social network X (formerly Twitter) may have manipulated its own algorithms and carried out "fraudulent data extraction." According to Engadget, prosecutors are also looking into the platform's possible involvement in electoral interference.
The investigation began on July 11, following reports of the social media network's activities in January. Prosecutors call X an "organized gang."
Meanwhile, the official X international relations account denied all allegations and said it was a "politically motivated criminal investigation." The account further wrote that French authorities had requested access to X's recommendation algorithm and real-time data on all user posts.
The data from X would be analyzed by two experts, David Chavalarias and Maziar Panahi. Both have spoken out against Elon Musk’s platform in the past, which is why X believes it has every right to refuse to provide any data to the French government.
"This investigation, initiated by French politician Eric Batorel, egregiously undermines X’s fundamental right to due process and threatens our users' rights to privacy and free speech," the company said in a statement.
Recall that in early June, it was reported that the French government may also classify X as an adult content platform. This would oblige the social network to verify the age of French users.