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French Prosecutors Open Criminal Case Against X Over Alleged Algorithm Manipulation

The French state is now policing the algorithm in the name of democracy.

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French prosecutors have opened a criminal case into X on allegations it altered its algorithms in ways that may have supported โ€œforeign interference.โ€

Magistrate Laure Beccuau confirmed on Friday that the investigation began Wednesday, with authorities looking into whether X violated French law by manipulating its recommendation systems and deceptively collecting user data.

Official statement from ร‰ric Bothorel, French National Assembly deputy, dated July 11, 2025, expressing support for an investigation into X-Twitter concerning foreign interference and algorithmic manipulation, mentioning the Paris Prosecutor's Office involvement and recent developments by Grok's update impacting content quality.

This latest development builds on a separate inquiry launched in January, which was prompted by complaints from a French parliamentarian and a senior civil servant.

The original accusation targeted X for promoting โ€œan enormous amount of hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+ and homophobic political content, which aims to skew the democratic debate in France.โ€

X is facing mounting pressure not only from French officials but also from European regulators. On Thursday, two members of Franceโ€™s National Assembly filed a complaint with Arcom, the national digital watchdog.

At the European level, the Commission has been examining Xโ€™s practices for close to two years under the recent censorship law, the Digital Services Act. The focus has included “misinformation” but in January the scope of the investigation widened to include Xโ€™s algorithms.

Momentum is building within EU institutions to wrap up that investigation. While regulators cite threats to democratic discourse and online safety, the French governmentโ€™s move to criminally probe X brings into sharper focus the tension between public oversight and free expression.

These state-led actions, framed as efforts to regulate tech platforms, may well cross the line into political censorship under the cover of legality.

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