France's Investigation Of Elon Musk's Platform X Is Getting Deeper, Police Involved

JAKARTA France's investigation of Elon Musk's social media platform intensified on Friday, July 11, when the Paris prosecutor's office announced that it had involved police in investigating alleged misuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by its company or executive.

The move adds to pressure on Musk, who was once an ally of former US President Donald Trump. Musk has accused European governments of attacking free speech and also expressed support for several far-right parties in the region.

According to a statement from Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, French police can conduct searches, wiretapping, and surveillance of Musk and executive X, or summon them to testify. If they do not comply with the call, the judge can issue an international detention warrant.

X has not yet responded to requests for comment from the media.

The initial investigation was launched by the Paris prosecutor's office in January 2025 after receiving complaints about alleged foreign interference by X from a member of parliament and senior French official. On July 9, following preliminary findings from French researchers and public institutions, the prosecutor asked the police to investigate X "both as a legal entity or through certain individuals."

Allegations of violations investigated include "organized disturbances to the automated data processing system function" and "cheaking data extraction from the automatic data processing system."

This latest investigation into major tech figures could deepen tensions between Washington and the European capital over the types of discourse allowed in the online world. For example, Pavel Durov, founder of the Russian-born Telegram messaging app, is currently under judicial scrutiny in France after being arrested last year and investigated on suspicion of organized crime in his app. Durov denied the allegations.

Durov's detention, criticized by Musk, sparked debate over free speech also raised by senior Trump officials. Musk himself has used X to support right-wing parties and movements in France, Germany, and the UK.

After allied with Trump for several months, Musk recently clashed with the president over the federal budget and is now planning to launch his own political party.