French prosecutors have opened an investigation into Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) over allegations of algorithmic bias. The inquiry comes just days before the upcoming AI summit in Paris, which will be attended by prominent global leaders, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as executives from Alphabet and Microsoft.
The investigation began after a lawmaker, Eric Bothorel, raised concerns that X’s algorithms were likely distorting automated data processing systems. Bothorel wrote to the Paris prosecutor’s office on January 12, prompting the J3 cybercrime unit to launch technical checks. Bothorel also posted about the matter on X, urging further scrutiny of the platform.
X has not responded to requests for comment on the matter. The investigation underscores mounting global scrutiny of Musk’s platform, which has been criticized for potential foreign interference, particularly due to Musk’s personal support for right-wing causes in countries like Germany and the UK. X has previously been involved in legal battles over misinformation, notably being blocked in Brazil last year for not adhering to Supreme Court orders regarding the spread of false information.
