The U.S. Department of Justice has informed French authorities that it will not cooperate with their inquiry into Elon Musk’s social media site X, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. The report referenced a letter from the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, sent on Friday. In February, prosecutors in Paris searched X’s offices in France and required Musk to appear for questioning in an ongoing probe that has lasted a year. The investigation examines potential misuse of algorithms and unauthorized collection of user information by X or its leaders. The letter, examined by the Journal, stated that the French effort aims to apply criminal law to control a forum for open exchange of thoughts and views, which conflicts with the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. It further noted that the requests for aid from the U.S. represent an attempt to involve America in a politically motivated criminal case intended to improperly oversee a social media company’s operations through legal action. Since Musk acquired the platform, X and he have faced oversight from officials in multiple nations, focusing on areas like content oversight, data handling, and adherence to regional regulations. Prosecutors indicate the probe addresses whether X’s systems unfairly influenced content display and if the firm wrongly gathered user details, following reports from French politicians and activist organizations. A representative from xAI expressed appreciation to the Justice Department for turning down the Paris prosecutor’s demand to require the company’s CEO and staff to participate in interviews, and hoped the authorities would acknowledge the absence of misconduct and end the unfounded inquiry. The U.S. Department of Justice, French officials, and xAI did not provide immediate responses to inquiries. Reuters was unable to confirm the details independently.
