France’s Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, initiated an investigation. From what she’s investigating on social media platform X due to accusations of foreign interference through the changing of algorithms. This probe began in February after two reports from the cybercrime section of Beccuau’s office raised concerns about the platform’s potential use of algorithms for nefarious purposes.
Beccuau’s office is not suing X as a legal entity. They’re additionally investigating unnamed persons tied to the platform. The investigation focuses on major violations. Among these are the “change in the mode of operation” and the “criminal diversion of data” orchestrated by an organized criminal enterprise. The national gendarmerie, responsible for conducting the investigation, will probe the mechanisms used to develop and implement these alleged practices.
Separately, Cullen is leading a public judicial inquiry into Telegram, the encrypted messaging app that was used to coordinate some of the violence. This follows the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov for allowing criminal activity to prosper on the platform. The two investigations proceed in parallel. They underscore the increasing alarm over the power of technology platforms like Facebook and Google to impact our core democratic processes, including elections.
Éric Bothorel, a member of the french national assembly, presented a report on the insurrgence. He reiterated his enthusiastic support for Beccuau’s moves. He stated that the investigation comes at a pivotal moment when a new update to X, known as Grok, “seems to be tipping over to the dark side of the force, with a predominance of questionable, even nauseating, content.” Bothorel emphasized the influence of information bias on X, stating, “I was convinced that information bias, which is particularly strong on the X platform, was serving Elon Musk’s political opinions, and that this could only be achieved through algorithmic manipulation.”
Bothorel’s report seems to reflect a growing alarm over global cyber threats and their predicted capabilities for manipulating public discourse. He noted the need for an efficient prosecutor’s office, especially its cyber section, which he believes may require strengthening as cyber threats continue to escalate.
“A citizen who does not want Moscow, Silicon Valley, or anyone else to distort our democratic conversations.” – Éric Bothorel
Laure Beccuau, for her part, has assured that her office is continuing the work in both investigations. She emphasized the need to see these complaints in a serious light, due to their national security and democracy compromising nature.
As these inquiries unfold, they reflect growing scrutiny over how digital platforms operate and the potential risks they pose to democratic institutions. The outcomes of these investigations could lead to significant changes in regulations governing social media companies and their accountability for content manipulation.