Overview

• The inquiry targets X as a corporate entity and its executives for allegedly orchestrating tampering with automated data systems and illicit extraction of user information.
• French police can seize evidence, monitor communications and summon executives to testify on charges of organised interference with automated systems and fraudulent data extraction.
• Prosecutors moved forward after two January complaints from MP Eric Bothorel and a senior cybersecurity official alleging the platform’s algorithm was manipulated to skew public debate.
• This case marks a key enforcement of the EU’s Digital Services Act, under which regulators may impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s global revenue for systemic transparency breaches.
• The investigation follows similar actions in Germany and reflects heightened EU concerns over X’s potential role in election interference and algorithmic bias.