The United States has criticised the launch of a criminal investigation in France against the social network X, owned by Elon Musk, over suspicions of foreign interference.
In a statement on X, the US State Department highlighted that a partisan French prosecutor is seeking information on X’s proprietary algorithm and has categorised X as an “organised criminal group”.
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, part of the State Department, asserted that democratic governments should allow diverse voices rather than silencing dissenting speech. The US vowed to defend the free speech rights of all Americans against foreign censorship.
Since reassuming office in January, President Donald Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has expressed concerns regarding perceived threats to freedom of expression in Europe.
The platform X, under investigation in France for potentially altering its algorithm amid accusations of foreign meddling, denounced what it called a “political agenda” last Monday and refused to comply with the Paris prosecutor’s request for access to its algorithm.
X claims that French authorities have sought access to its recommendation algorithm and real-time data on all user posts. Paris prosecutors announced on 11 July that an investigation was handed over to the national gendarmerie, focusing on X as a corporate entity and the individuals managing it.
The investigation, led by the general directorate of the national gendarmerie, is looking into the alleged alteration of automated data processing systems and fraudulent data extraction by an organised group.
This inquiry follows two reports received in January alleging the use of X’s algorithm, formerly Twitter, for foreign interference purposes, according to the prosecutor’s office.
