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Social media platform X has sharply criticized a French criminal investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction, calling it “politically motivated” and a direct threat to free discourse.
On July 9, French prosecutors formally opened a criminal inquiry following complaints filed in January by centrist MP Eric Bothorel—a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party—and a senior government cybersecurity official.
They alleged that X’s recommendation algorithm was manipulated to influence political discourse, possibly facilitating foreign interference and amplifying hateful or far-right content.
The investigation focuses on possible offenses under France’s criminal code, including organized manipulation of automated data-processing systems and fraudulent data extraction.
The French Gendarmerie’s J3 cybercrime unit is leading the probe, which has escalated with additional involvement from French police.
At the center of the probe are accusations of:
X's Global Government Affairs team's response
“X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech,” X’s global government team responded.
The company also revealed it has refused to comply with demands to hand over its recommendation algorithm and real-time user-post data—a refusal claimed to be legally justified.
X additionally objected to prosecutors considering organized‑crime statutes, which could permit invasive measures like employee device wiretaps.
The platform criticized the request for analysis by specific researchers—David Chavalarias and Maziyar Panahi—branding them as biased and warning against impartiality concerns.
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