French prosecutors are investigating whether Platform X (formerly Twitter) could have influenced political processes through changes to its recommendation and data collection algorithms.
French prosecutors are investigating whether Platform X (formerly Twitter) could have influenced political processes through changes to its recommendation and data collection algorithms.
The investigation officially began on July 11 after a series of allegations that surfaced in January, Engadget reports. The case involves not only possible manipulation of algorithms, but also suspicions of «fraudulent data collection» and «organized activity,» which has already been classified as the actions of a criminal group.
At the heart of the case is the French government’s request to give X access to its recommendation algorithms and real-time data on all users’ posts. The government has brought in independent experts to analyze the situation, including David Chavalarias, director of the Paris Institute of Complex Systems, who leads the «Escape X» campaign, and Maziar Panahi, an artificial intelligence engineer. Both have been outspoken critics of the platform in the past.
In response, X refused to comply with the French demands. The company’s statement said that the investigation was politically motivated, violated the right to a fair trial and threatened users' privacy. It also said that the accusations of foreign interference, voiced by parliamentarian Eric Batorel, were unfounded.
X is also concerned about the bias of the experts involved in the investigation, which they believe could lead to a predetermined outcome.
The incident illustrates the increasingly tense relationship between big tech companies and regulators in Europe. As governments increase pressure on digital platforms over algorithm transparency and data protection, companies like X are standing up for free speech and trade secrets.
We also reported on how the CEO of social network X announced her resignation amid Grok hallucinations. Linda Iaccarino, appointed by Elon Musk, served as CEO of social network X for over two years.
