Elon Musk's social media platform X said on Monday it denied all allegations made by French authorities over manipulation of its algorithm and "fraudulent data extraction", adding that it has not acceded to the demands made in a French criminal investigation.
"French authorities have requested access to X’s recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts on the platform in order for several “experts” to analyze the data and purportedly “uncover the truth” about the operation of the X platform," X said, adding that they denied the demands since they "have a legal right to do."
Earlier this year, the Paris public prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the X social media platform after receiving two complaints. The first was filed by centrist parliamentarian Eric Bothorel, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's party, who has looked into cybersecurity.
The second was from a "senior official of a French public institution", the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The investigation was handed over to the French police in early July on charges of "altering the functioning of an automated data processing system as part of an organised criminal enterprise" and "fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system as part of an organised criminal enterprise".
The French authorities, according to X, requested access to its recommendation algorithm and real-time data on all posts by users of the platform as part of the investigation, which the group refused.
In its statement posted on X, the social media firm accused the investigation of "distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.
Elon Musk has angered European politicians by commenting about domestic politics, notably in Britain and Germany, where he has publicly supported the far-right AfD party.
Read moreEurope’s leaders have had enough of Musk’s meddling, but can they stop him?
The EU's former digital affairs commissioner, French politician Thierry Breton has described some of his pro-AfD comments as "foreign interference".
The commission opened a probe against X in December 2023 and accused it in July 2024 of breaching its digital services regulations. The network risks being ordered to pay a fine of billions of euros.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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