French authorities have launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s platform X—formerly known as Twitter—over allegations its algorithm enabled “foreign interference” and manipulated political discourse.
The Paris prosecutor confirmed Friday that the probe, targeting X’s operations and senior management, follows two complaints filed in January. One came from centrist MP Eric Bothorel, a cybersecurity advocate, who claimed recent changes to the platform since Musk’s 2022 takeover had “reduced the diversity of voices” and threatened democratic debate.
Bothorel accused Musk of “personal interventions” and decried the opaque criteria behind content moderation. He described the platform as a “real danger” to democracy—language some see as a veiled attempt to suppress dissenting opinions.
The second complaint, reportedly from a government cybersecurity official, claimed X’s algorithm promoted “racist, anti-LGBTQ or homophobic” content and skewed political narratives.
Despite the alarmist tone, X France’s director Laurent Buanec defended the platform’s transparency, saying in January that its rules against hate and disinformation are “strict, clear and public.” He insisted the algorithm is designed to avoid promoting hateful content.
