France Is Investigating X Over Foreign Interference, While A Mp Also Criticizes Grok

France is launching a criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s X complete alleged instances of algorithm manipulation for overseas interference purposes. The nationalist gendarmerie will beryllium tasked pinch nan investigation, nan Paris prosecutor’s agency announced. 

In a statement, Paris charismatic Laure Beccuau said that nan investigation is looking astatine X arsenic a ineligible entity arsenic good arsenic unnamed individuals. 

Within nan investigation’s scope, she highlighted nan 2 pursuing imaginable offenses: “alteration of nan operation” and “fraudulent extraction of data” of an automated information processing strategy “by an organized group.”

Beccuau added that nan move followed “verifications, contributions from French researchers and elements brought by various nationalist institutions.”

In February, her agency had opened an first probe into X pursuing two reports made nan cybercrime conception of nan Paris prosecutor’s agency complete nan societal network’s alleged usage algorithm manipulation for overseas interference purposes.

These reports were made by an unnamed elder charismatic from a French nationalist institution, which French journalists described arsenic a cybersecurity manager, and by a personnel of parliament, Éric Bothorel.

In a statement, Bothorel welcomed news of nan investigation moving forward, which he said “comes astatine a clip erstwhile nan caller Grok update seems to beryllium tipping complete to nan acheronian broadside of nan force, pinch a predominance of questionable, moreover nauseating, content.”

On July 9, X took nan automated relationship for its AI chatbot offline aft it spent Tuesday day pushing antisemitic narratives, which weren’t a first. The European Commission is “in touch” pinch X complete this very topic it said; but Bothorel’s interest is broader.

“I was convinced that accusation bias, which is peculiarly beardown connected nan X platform, was serving Elon Musk’s governmental opinions, and that this could only beryllium achieved done algorithmic manipulation,” nan elected charismatic stated.

Bothorel said he revenge his study arsenic an MP, but besides arsenic “a national who does not want Moscow, Silicon Valley, aliases anyone other to distort our antiauthoritarian conversations.” He praised “the activity of an businesslike prosecutor’s office, peculiarly its cyber section, which will apt request to beryllium strengthened astatine a clip erstwhile cyber threats proceed to increase.”

As Paris prosecutor, Beccuau has coordinated prosecutions related to nan hacking forum BreachForums. She is besides overseeing nan ongoing judicial investigation into Telegram and its CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested for alleged facilitation of criminal activity connected nan platform. Durov has since past obtained tribunal support to leave France for Dubai, but nan investigation continues.