How X became a target for Paris

FRENCH investigators have summoned X owner Elon Musk for a “voluntary interview” which they say could shed light on allegations that the platform was involved in the spread of Al-generated child sexual abuse images and deepfake content.

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THE French authorities have had a long-running feud with the Elon Musk, casting his social media platform as a potential threat to democracy, while US billionaire says he is defending freedom of speech. I AFP

(AFP)

The French authorities have had a long-running feud with the US-based billionaire, casting his social media platform as a potential threat to democracy, while Musk says he is defending freedom of speech.

According to the Wall Street Journal, France attempted to convince the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to cooperate in the probe — only to be rebutted over what the DOJ suspected was an attempt “to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding”.

Here is what we know about the Musk-France feud so far:

How did the feud between Musk and France start?

The probe dates back to January 2025, when a formal complaint against X was lodged by a French MP and a public official.

According to reports at the time, the documents cited a “major modification in the algorithm used by the X platform”, resulting in a surge of “hateful, racist, anti-LGBTQ, or homophobic” content designed to “skew democratic debate in France”.

Around the same time, Musk was openly endorsing European right-wing parties, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Reform UK, and France's National Rally.

A formal criminal investigation over alleged algorithm manipulation and illicit data extraction was opened in July 2025 and handed to the national police.