Social media platform X is under criminal investigation

Things have just taken a turn for the worse for billionaire Elon Musk and his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. French prosecutors have now enlisted the help of the police in order to formally investigate X for criminal conduct.

The investigation was instigated for multiple reasons, which essentially boil down to: X has conducted organized interference. To be precise, French prosecutors have claimed the following alleged crimes against the online platform:

• Organized interference with the functioning of an automated data processing system
• Organized fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system

The prosecutors have asked the French authorities to investigate X “as both a legal entity and through individual persons” after receiving preliminary findings. There are also claims that Musk has used his platform to promote “right-wing” groups in France, which is another act that the judicial system could use against him.

With this investigation, the U.S. will be even more critical of how some European governments are running their countries. The current American administration has accused these governments of suppressing free speech and carrying out unwarranted attacks on U.S. companies like Apple.

With the police aiding the investigation, the prosecutors can count on a lot more severe measures being taken against Musk and X. Perhaps most importantly, an international arrest warrant could be issued against Musk and X executives if they fail to show up to court.

This isn’t the first time that France has taken action against an online social platform in recent memory. Only a short while back, French authorities arrested the founder of Telegram: Pavel Durov. Durov was accused of facilitating organized crime on Telegram, something he has denied. His arrest had also been criticized by Elon Musk.

The investigation into Telegram saw the app skyrocket in popularity, as people downloaded it in droves to show their support for free speech. I believe that the investigation into X will likely lead to similar results, and that Musk probably won’t comply with French authorities or plead guilty.

The entire ordeal is also, in my opinion, going to further fuel the aforementioned allegations against certain European governments.

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