PARIS — French prosecutors have launched a police investigation into alleged information tampering and fraud involving X, Elon Musk’s social media platform.
The Paris prosecutor’s workplace, in a press release Friday, introduced the opening of the investigation, and mentioned {that a} department of the French gendarmerie is conducting the inquiry.
The investigation is wanting into two alleged offenses “particularly” — organized tampering with the functioning of an automatic information processing system, and arranged fraudulent extraction of knowledge from an automatic information processing system, the assertion mentioned.
It did not give particulars of the alleged wrongdoing. It mentioned that the investigation is focusing on each the platform and folks, with out naming them or saying what position they could have inside X.
The prosecutor’s workplace mentioned that it was appearing on data that two folks offered in January to its cybercrimes unit. Considered one of them is a member of parliament, and the opposite is a senior official in a French authorities establishment. It did not establish them or the establishment.
It mentioned the 2 folks alleged the suspected use of X’s algorithm for the “functions of overseas interference.” It did not element the alleged interference or how the algorithm was allegedly used.
The prosecutor’s workplace mentioned that it determined this week to open the police investigation, after conducting its personal “verifications” and having acquired extra data from French researchers and “numerous public establishments.”
The Related Press has emailed X’s press workplace, looking for remark.
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Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.