Elon Musk’s X is refusing to hand over data to French authorities, claiming it’s defending its users’ free speech and privacy while branding a criminal investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation as “politically motivated.”
In a post on Monday, X’s Global Government Affairs account denied the allegations, insisting the French investigation “egregiously undermines X’s fundamental right to due process and threatens our users’ rights to privacy and free speech.”
Preparing to fight the allegedly improper data grab, X accused a French politician, Eric Bothorel, of sparking the probe due to his supposed fears that X was manipulating its algorithm to influence French users’ political views. Earlier this month, Politico reported that French authorities suspected X of amplifying hateful, racist, and homophobic content.