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Tensions between Elon Musk's social media platform X and French judicial authorities escalated this week after the company publicly rejected cooperation with what it calls a politically-driven investigation into its operations.
At the heart of the dispute is an ongoing criminal probe launched by Paris prosecutors earlier this year, targeting suspected manipulation of X's algorithm and unauthorized data extraction. The inquiry gained momentum in July when officials granted investigators expanded powers, including surveillance authority and possible subpoenas against senior executives.
In a statement shared Monday through its Global Government Affairs account, X condemned the investigation as "a distortion of French law intended to advance a political agenda." The company asserted its refusal to comply with data requests was within its legal rights, citing freedom of expression concerns. The investigation, according to X, originated from complaints lodged by French lawmaker Eric Bothorel and an unnamed public official. Bothorel accused the platform of enabling foreign interference via its algorithm, an allegation X dismissed as baseless. He defended the probe, stating: "In France, free speech coexists with accountability. A lack of oversight can be just as dangerous as censorship."
Prosecutors reportedly requested full access to user data and internal recommendation algorithms for analysis by researchers David Chavalarias and Maziyar Panahi. X criticized the choice of analysts, describing them as "openly hostile" to the platform. Chavalarias, director of the Paris Complex Systems Institute, has previously advocated for users to abandon the platform through his "Escape X" initiative. Panahi, though listed on earlier academic work with Chavalarias, denied involvement and called the mention of his name "erroneous and defamatory."
The investigation is being handled under France's organized crime statutes, raising additional alarm for X, which noted that the provision allows authorities to wiretap personal devices of employees. "The criminal classification is deeply troubling," the company stated, adding that it viewed the escalation as an effort to chill speech. European regulators have increasingly scrutinized X under the EU's Digital Services Act. The French case, however, signals a shift from regulatory to criminal enforcement. If charges proceed, the implications for platform accountability, and digital sovereignty, could be far-reaching.
X maintains it has received no specific charges and remains uninformed of the exact scope of the inquiry. Nonetheless, its refusal to comply could trigger legal consequences ranging from fines to obstruction charges.
