France v. X

We inquired with the Paris Prosecutor's Office regarding the preliminary criminal investigation against X. Here is their response.

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Below is the response we received on July 21, 2025, from Ms. Maylis De Roeck, Vice-State Prosecutor and spokesperson for Ms. Laure Beccuau, State Prosecutor of Paris.

In response to your inquiry and amid the circulation of partially inaccurate or incomplete information, we wish to clarify the following: As confirmed in February 2025, were filed with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office two criminal complaints, including one from a member of parliament dated January 12, 2025.

These complaints allege that biased algorithms in the operation of X may have compromised the integrity of an automated data processing system. Specialized magistrates and investigators from the cybercrime unit have analyzed these complaints and conducted initial technical verifications.

An article published by Le Monde on June 18, 2025, highlighted an expert analysis revealing the targeting of advertisements based on criteria prohibited in Europe. This analysis has been incorporated into the ongoing investigation.

Based on these verifications, contributions from French researchers, and evidence provided by various public institutions, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, on July 9, 2025, entrusted further investigations to the Directorate General of the National Gendarmerie. The investigation focuses, in particular, on potential offenses, including conspiracy to tamper with an automated data processing system and conspiracy for the fraudulent extraction of data from such a system. These offenses carry a potential penalty of up to ten years’ imprisonment.

The investigation seeks to determine whether the platform’s operations constitute these offenses and whether personal data has been fraudulently extracted from the platform.

On July 19, 2025, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office formally requested that X provide access to its algorithm (not private user data) to enable the Gendarmerie to conduct a technical verification of the elements identified in the initial investigations and expert analyses. This subpoena pursuant Article 77-1-1 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, emphasizes that investigators are bound by confidentiality, that only those directly involved in the investigation will have access to the algorithm, and that a secure process has been proposed for X to transmit this technical information with full guarantees of confidentiality. While this judicial requisition has been mentioned on social media, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office has not yet received an official response from X.

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A preliminary investigation has been launched to determine whether there are grounds for prosecuting the platform X. By its nature, this confidential investigation does not grant X access the case file.

The first complaint, lodged in January 2025 by Renaissance (Macronist) MP Éric Bothorel, denounces a “reduction in the diversity of voices and perspectives” on X, which he claims deviates from the platform’s stated goal of “ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all.” Bothorel further criticizes the “lack of transparency regarding the criteria guiding algorithmic changes and moderation decisions” and condemns the “personal interventions by Elon Musk in the platform’s management,” which he describes as “a genuine danger and threat to our democracies.”

The second complaint, filed by a senior public official responsible for cybersecurity within a public administration, highlights a “significant modification to X’s algorithm, resulting in the promotion of a substantial volume of hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+, and homophobic political content, aimed at distorting democratic debate in France.”

Notably, these complaints coincide with the “HelloQuitteX” initiative, which encouraged users to migrate from X to BlueSky through an application that automates the transfer process. This application was developed and hosted by the Institute of Complex Systems, a state research unit led by David Chavalarias.

In response to our inquiry about the involvement of Mr. David Chavalarias and the Complex Systems Institute of Paris Île-de-France (ISC-PIF) among the researchers consulted in the investigation, the Paris Prosecutor's Office provided no comment.

The study asserting that the X enabled companies to target advertisements based on criteria prohibited in Europe, such as political opinions or sexual orientation, was conducted by the NGO AI Forensics. This organization counts among its donors the Open Society Foundations of George Soros, as well as Luminate and the Omidyar Network, foundations backed by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay and owner of PayPal. It also receives funding from EU sources.

Capture d’écran du site de AI Forensics

Pierre Omidyar previously gained attention for funding a disinformation campaign targeting Meta and supporting Frances Haugen, a purported whistleblower, with the effort orchestrated by a lobbying firm led by Bill Burton, a former spokesperson for Barack Obama.