The United States has condemned France’s criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s X and called it an act of “foreign censorship,” according to reports. US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor said in a post X, “As part of a criminal investigation, an activist French prosecutor is requesting information on X’s proprietary algorithm and has classified X as an ‘organized crime group.'”
“Democratic governments should allow all voices to be heard, not silence speech they dislike. The United States will defend the free speech of all Americans against acts of foreign censorship,” it added.
Media reports suggest that the cybercrime prosecutors in Paris launched a police probe on July 11 to investigate suspected crimes. It included manipulating and extracting data from automated systems “as part of a criminal gang.”
Notably, X has denied the allegations and called them “politically motivated.” The platform said it refused to comply with the prosecutor’s request to access its recommendation algorithm and real-time data.
According to a report by France 24, the probe followed two complaints filed in January. One of the complaints came from an MP from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party named Eric Bothorel. He cited a “reduced diversity of voices and options” and pointed to Musk’s “personal interventions” in X’s management since taking control of the platform.
Bothorel said after the investigation was announced, according to France 24, “Democracy is too fragile to let digital platform owners tell us what to think, who to vote for or even who to hate.”
X gave a tough response and said it “categorically denies” all the allegations and that the investigation “is distorting French law to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.”
(With inputs from ANI)
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
