French prosecutors have initiated an investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform, X, following allegations of algorithmic bias, as reported by Franceinfo on Friday. This development coincides with an upcoming event set to host global leaders like U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and executives from Alphabet and Microsoft.
The Paris prosecutor's office and X, formerly known as Twitter, have not yet responded to requests for comments. These probes reflect increasing global concerns regarding X, the platform renamed by tech mogul Musk after acquiring Twitter, where he has shown support for right-wing parties and causes in various countries, raising fears of foreign interference.
The investigation in France was prompted by a centrist lawmaker, Eric Bothorel, who voiced concerns on X about biased algorithms, leading to an examination by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutors' office. According to Franceinfo, the prosecutors stated that X's algorithms have potentially disrupted data processing procedures, with technical assessments underway.
Bothorel mentioned on X having written to the J3 cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutors' office on Jan. 12 regarding the matter. The J3 unit, known for its actions against major platform owners, recently made news by detaining Durov, a Telegram executive, for alleged offenses upon his arrival in Paris.
Previously, X Brazil faced consequences for misinformation spread, leading to a temporary shutdown before compliance with a Supreme Court ruling resulted in its reinstatement.