France is investigating X over foreign interference, while a MP also criticizes Grok

Within the investigation’s scope, she highlighted the two following potential offenses: “alteration of the operation” and “fraudulent extraction of data” of an automated data processing system “by an organized group.”

Beccuau added that the move followed “verifications, contributions from French researchers and elements brought by various public institutions.”

In February, her office had opened an initial probe into X following two reports made the cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor’s office over the social network's alleged use algorithm manipulation for foreign interference purposes.

These reports were made by an unnamed senior official from a French public institution, which French journalists described as a cybersecurity manager, and by a member of parliament, Éric Bothorel.

In a statement, Bothorel welcomed news of the investigation moving forward, which he said “comes at a time when the new Grok update seems to be tipping over to the dark side of the force, with a predominance of questionable, even nauseating, content.”

On July 9, X took the automated account for its AI chatbot offline after it spent Tuesday afternoon pushing antisemitic narratives, which weren’t a first. The European Commission is “in touch” with X over this very topic it said; but Bothorel’s concern is broader.

“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,” the elected official stated.

Bothorel said he filed his report as an MP, but also as “a citizen who does not want Moscow, Silicon Valley, or anyone else to distort our democratic conversations.” He praised “the work of an efficient prosecutor’s office, particularly its cyber section, which will likely need to be strengthened at a time when cyber threats continue to increase.”