The US Department of Justice has refused to assist French authorities in their criminal investigation of the social media platform X. French officials sought help amid accusations of algorithm manipulation and other charges against the company owned by Elon Musk. The DOJ cited concerns over free speech protections.
The US Department of Justice informed French authorities that it will not provide assistance in their probe into X, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. French investigators requested DOJ support after launching the inquiry in July, alleging algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction by the platform. Additional charges include disseminating child sexual abuse material and Holocaust denial content, according to officials cited by WSJ. Authorities raided X's Paris office and issued summonses for Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to appear for interviews on April 20. The DOJ described the French investigation as an attempt to draw the United States into a politically motivated proceeding aimed at regulating a social media platform through prosecution. In a letter viewed by WSJ, DOJ officials stated: “This investigation seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas and opinions in a manner contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.” An xAI official expressed gratitude to the DOJ for rejecting the request, telling WSJ that it prevents a Paris prosecutor from compelling the CEO and employees to attend interviews. The spokesperson described the probe as baseless with no wrongdoing by X.
