US condemns France’s criminal investigation into Elon Musk's X

The United States (US) has strongly criticised France for launching a criminal investigation into the billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Led by French cybercrime prosecutors, the probe is focused on alleged foreign interference and other digital crimes.

According to the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, the French prosecutor has labeled X as an “organised crime group” and is seeking access to its proprietary recommendation algorithm as part of the investigation.

In a statement shared on X, the bureau condemned the move, saying, “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 is pertinent to note that the French police investigation was initiated on July 11 and includes charges such as data manipulation and unauthorised extraction of automated system data in connection with organised criminal activity.

The case reportedly stems from two complaints filed in January. One of them came from a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, Éric Bothorel, who alleged that the platform’s algorithm reduced content diversity and claimed Musk’s involvement influenced platform management in France.

In response, X has pushed back forcefully against the allegations, calling them “politically motivated” and stating that the company has refused to comply with the prosecutor’s request for real-time data and access to its algorithm.

The platform also argued that the investigation misuses French law to advance a political agenda and poses a threat to free speech.