US rejects France's request to assist probe into Musk's X
What's the story
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has declined a request from French law enforcement for assistance in its investigation of Elon Musk's social media platform, X. The decision was revealed by the Wall Street Journal, citing a letter from the DOJ's Office of International Affairs. The investigation is part of a year-long probe into alleged misuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives.
Probe
French investigation into X's alleged misuse of algorithms
The French investigation centers on whether X's algorithms have skewed content treatment on the platform and if the company has unlawfully extracted user data. This comes after complaints from French lawmakers and advocacy groups. In February, Paris prosecutors raided X's offices in France and ordered Musk to answer questions as part of this widening investigation.
Letter contents
DOJ letter criticized French investigation as politically charged
The DOJ's letter criticized the French investigation as an attempt to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for free expression of ideas and opinions, contrary to the First Amendment of the US Constitution. It further said that France's requests for US assistance "constitute an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform."
Reaction
xAI official welcomed DOJ's decision
An official from Musk's xAI welcomed the DOJ's decision, saying, "We are grateful to the Justice Department for rejecting this effort by a prosecutor in Paris to compel our CEO and several employees to sit for interviews." The official expressed hope that prosecutors would realize there is no wrongdoing here and end their baseless investigation.