DOJ refuses to help French authorities in criminal probe of X
Engadget • • business
Key Points:
- The US Department of Justice is supporting X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, amid a criminal investigation by French authorities accusing the company of algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction.
- France initiated the probe in July and later raided X's Paris office, summoning Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for interviews related to the case scheduled for April 20.
- Additional allegations under investigation by French officials include the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and Holocaust denial content on the platform.
- The DOJ criticized the French investigation as politically motivated and an attempt to regulate free expression in the US, citing conflicts with the First Amendment.
- X’s representatives expressed gratitude to the DOJ for opposing the French prosecutor’s demands and maintained that the investigation is baseless with no wrongdoing by the company.
