Overview

• On July 25, the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor condemned Paris prosecutors for classifying X as an “organised crime group” and demanding its recommendation algorithm.
• Paris cybercrime authorities opened a criminal investigation on July 11 under organised-crime statutes to examine alleged manipulation of X’s algorithm and extraction of real-time user data.
• X has categorically denied the allegations as politically motivated and refused to grant prosecutors access to its proprietary algorithm or live data feeds.
• The inquiry traces back to two complaints filed in January, including one by MP Eric Bothorel, alleging that X’s algorithm skewed French political discourse.
• Elon Musk’s vocal backing of Germany’s far-right AfD ahead of elections has intensified scrutiny over platform neutrality and spurred this call for algorithmic transparency.