Elon Musk’s X faces criminal probe in France over algorithm manipulation concerns

French prosecutors on have opened an investigation into Elon Musk’s X over allegations that it distorted its algorithms to manipulate discourse taking place on the social media platform.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office said it received a report from a French lawmaker on Jan. 12 criticizing X over “biased algorithms” that were “likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system.”

Magistrates and specialized assistants of the office’s cybercrime section have been tasked with analyzing the report and carrying out initial technical checks on the platform, the prosecutor’s office told CNBC Friday, in emailed comments.

CNBC has contacted X for comment.

X, which was formerly known as Twitter, has been dogged by concerns surrounding shortcomings on content moderation since Musk bought the platform in 2022 for $44 billion.

According to French radio station Franceinfo, the French lawmaker who sent the report to the prosecutor’s office was Eric Bothorel, an MP in President Emmanuel Macron’s own Ensemble Pour La Republique party.

Meanwhile, the European Union has been investigating X for potential violations of the Digital Services Act, a law that requires social media firms to tackle the spread of harmful content on their platforms.

Last month, the European Commission which is the executive arm of the EU asked X to hand over internal documents about its algorithms by Feb. 15, as part of its ongoing DSA investigation into the company.

X has been accused of manipulating its systems to give far-right posts and politicians greater visibility over other political groups.

Musk has made several public statements in Germany voicing support for the country’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, even making a surprise virtual appearance at a campaign event last month.

The AfD was polling second ahead of Germany’s upcoming Feb. 23 general election.