French Authorities Raid X Offices in Paris, Summon Elon Musk
French cybercrime investigators searched the Paris offices of social media platform X on Monday. The probe focuses on suspected money laundering linked to accounts promoting Russian propaganda. Owner Elon Musk has been summoned to appear before authorities in November.
Key Takeaways
- French authorities raided X’s Paris offices over a money laundering probe tied to Russian propaganda.
- Elon Musk has been ordered to appear before French officials in November.
- The investigation examines if X acted as a “financial agent” for disinformation networks.
- This adds to X’s mounting regulatory challenges in the European Union.
The Core Investigation
According to a report by Le Monde, French authorities are investigating whether X acted as a “financial agent” for individuals who promoted Russian propaganda on the platform. X stated the investigation concerns its compliance with obligations to “fight illicit content and disinformation, as well as the rules applicable to the financial sector.”
The company, formerly known as Twitter, said it is cooperating fully with the authorities.
Mounting EU Scrutiny
X has faced intense regulatory pressure in Europe, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war. The European Union launched a formal investigation in December under the Digital Services Act (DSA), examining X’s practices on risk management, content moderation, and advertising transparency.
In February, EU industry chief Thierry Breton criticised X’s transparency report on disinformation as “insufficient.” He also labelled X as the biggest source of disinformation ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.
X has stated that since the attack on Israel, it has removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and acted against tens of thousands of pieces of content.
Musk’s Controversies and Clash with Advertisers
Elon Musk’s leadership has been marked by controversy. He has been in a public dispute with major advertisers who left the platform over concerns about antisemitic content. In a November interview, Musk told departing companies to “go f**k yourself.”
This followed an incident where Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people. Musk later denied being antisemitic and apologised, calling his endorsement “one of the most foolish if not the most foolish thing I’ve ever done on the platform.”
Musk has previously argued that X’s Community Notes feature is the best tool to combat disinformation on the platform.
