French authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s X.
The Paris prosecutor’s office announced Friday that it has called in police to look into allegations of algorithm misuse and improper data harvest by Elon Musk or its officials, furthering a French investigation into the social media site X. The action increases the pressure on Musk, a former ally of US President Donald Trump who has expressed sympathy for some of the far-right groups in the region and accused European governments of stifling free expression.
For billionaire Elon Musk and his social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, things have recently gotten worse. The police have now been called in by French prosecutors to formally look into X’s possible illegal activity.
Musk and X executives might be the target of monitoring, wiretaps, searches, or summonses to testify by French authorities. A judge may issue an international arrest warrant if they don’t cooperate.
There are several reasons why the investigation was started, but the main one is that X has engaged in systematic interference. Prosecutors in France have specifically accused the online platform of the following crimes:
Organized interference with the functioning of an automated data processing system
Organized fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system
Following the receipt of early findings, the prosecutors have requested that the French authorities look into X “as both a legal entity and through individual persons.” The legal system may also use Musk’s alleged use of his platform to support “right-wing” parties in France as evidence against him.
The United States will be even more critical of the way some European governments are managing their nations as a result of this study. These governments have been accused by the present American administration of stifling free expression and launching unjustified attacks on American corporations such as Apple.
Prosecutors should expect much more severe actions against Musk and X as long as the police cooperate with the investigation. Most significantly, if Musk and X executives do not appear in court, an international arrest order may be issued against them.
A request for comment from X was not immediately answered. Following allegations of potential foreign meddling by X from a senator and a high-ranking French official, Paris prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation in January, according to a statement from Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
On July 9, they requested that police look into X “as both a legal entity and through individual persons” based on early results from researchers and French government agencies.
The claimed offenses include “organised interference with the functioning of an automated data processing system” along with “organised fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system”.
A split over what kind of talk is allowed online between Washington and European cities may be exacerbated by Paris prosecutors’ recent investigation of influential internet personalities. In recent memory, France has previously taken action against an online social platform. Following his detention and formal investigation for alleged organized crime on the Telegram messaging service last year, Pavel Durov, the Russian-born app’s founder, is currently under court supervision in France. He denies any responsibility.
The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French police not long ago. Durov has refused allegations that he utilized Telegram to support organized crime. Elon Musk had condemned his arrest as well.
People downloaded the app in large numbers to express their support for free speech after the Telegram inquiry, which caused the app’s popularity to soar. The investigation into X, in my opinion, will probably yield similar findings, and Musk is unlikely to cooperate with French authorities or enter a guilty plea.
Senior Trump officials have taken up the free speech controversy that was sparked by Durov’s imprisonment, which Musk criticized.
Musk has directly backed right-wing movements and parties in Britain, France, and Germany through X. He just split with Trump over his federal budget after months of following him, and he is now starting his own political party.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
