U.S. officials on Friday, July 25, strongly criticized France’s criminal investigation into the social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, calling it an attack on free speech and an act of foreign censorship.
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, denouncing the probe: “As part of a criminal investigation, an activist French prosecutor is requesting information on X’s proprietary algorithm and has classified X as an ‘organised 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.”
French cybercrime prosecutors launched the investigation on July 11 to examine allegations of foreign interference in French politics. The inquiry centers on suspicions that X’s algorithm was used to manipulate political discourse and extract data from automated systems, with prosecutors describing the activity as part of an “organised criminal gang.”
The investigation stems from two complaints filed in January, one of which came from French lawmaker Eric Bothorel of President Emmanuel Macron’s party. Bothorel alleged the platform has exhibited “reduced diversity of voices and options” since Musk’s acquisition and accused Musk of direct interference in X’s operations.
In response, X rejected the allegations as “politically motivated,” saying it had refused a request from prosecutors to provide access to its recommendation algorithm and real-time data. The company said it “categorically denies” all charges and accused French authorities of “distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.”
Bothorel defended the investigation, warning against the influence of powerful tech executives on democratic systems. “Democracy is too fragile to let digital platform owners tell us what to think, who to vote for or even who to hate,” he said.
Elon Musk, who also leads Tesla and SpaceX, has drawn criticism for his involvement in European political debates, including his vocal support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of elections earlier this year.
