French authorities have started looking into claims that the social media platform X (formerly called Twitter) may have changed its algorithm in a way that allowed foreign influence. This was confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office on Friday, July 11.
The investigation began after two complaints were submitted on January 12. These complaints raised alarms about possible changes to X’s algorithm that could affect public discussions and democracy in France. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said they are looking into the actions of the company and its top officials, although she did not mention Elon Musk by name.
One of the complaints came from Eric Bothorel, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron’s party. He has experience in cybersecurity and said he is concerned about changes to X’s algorithm after Elon Musk took over in 2022. He believes the changes have reduced the number of different opinions people see on the platform, which could hurt healthy public conversations.
Bothorel also said there’s no clear explanation of how the algorithm changes or how moderation decisions are made. He pointed out that Elon Musk seems to have personally interfered with how the platform is run. According to him, this creates a serious risk for democracy.
The second complaint came from a government cybersecurity expert, according to a report by French magazine Le Canard Enchaîné. This official said the X algorithm now promotes hateful and harmful content, including racist and anti-LGBTQ posts. He warned that this could twist political debates in France.
The prosecutor said the case was opened after input from French researchers and government bodies. The investigation is looking into possible criminal activity related to digital manipulation. Although these actions are not officially labeled as “foreign interference” under current French law, that may change as the case moves forward.
X’s France director, Laurent Buanec, defended the platform earlier in January. He said X has strong and clear rules to prevent hate speech and misinformation. He also claimed that their algorithm is designed not to show users hateful content.
This investigation adds to the pressure on Elon Musk over how he runs X, especially in Europe. Musk has been criticized for getting involved in political debates in other countries like Germany and the UK. His support for Germany’s far-right AfD party was even called “foreign interference” by a former EU digital chief from France.
The European Commission is also investigating X separately. In December 2023, they opened a case against the platform. Then in July 2024, they accused X of breaking EU digital service laws. If X is found guilty, it could face billions of euros in fines.
