Authorities said the alleged offenses, involving an “automated data processing system,” could carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has denied allegations of data tampering and fraud, labeling them as politically motivated.
The denial comes in response to an investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office earlier this month.
Authorities said the alleged offenses, involving an “automated data processing system,” could carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
In a post from its Global Government Affairs account, X stated: “X categorically denies these allegations,” adding that French authorities are conducting a “politically-motivated criminal investigation into X over the alleged manipulation of its algorithm and alleged ‘fraudulent data extraction.’”
The case stems from a January complaint to the cybercrimes unit by two individuals—one a member of parliament and the other a senior government official—who claimed the platform’s algorithm was used for “foreign interference.”
X said it “remains in the dark” about the specific claims, but believes the investigation is “distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.”
Prosecutors said they’ve asked X for algorithm access but have not yet received a formal reply.