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French police launch investigation into social media platform X

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French police launch investigation into social media platform X

2025-07-13 14:23 Last Updated At:20:27

The Paris prosecutor's office announced on Friday that the social media platform X is under investigation by French police.

At this stage, X is primarily accused of two offenses -- "impairing the operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group," and "fraudulently extracting data from an automated data processing system by an organized group," Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a press release.

The investigation has been assigned to the Directorate-General of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN), Beccuau added.

In January, the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office received two formal complaints, submitted respectively by a member of the French parliament and a senior official at a French public institution, Beccuau said, adding that both complaints alleged that X's algorithm had been exploited for the purpose of foreign interference.

The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed in February that it was examining these complaints, before announcing on Friday that it had opened the investigation "based on verifications, input from French researchers, and information provided by various public institutions."

Laurent Buanec, CEO of X France, stated on the platform in January that X "has strict, clear, and public rules aimed at protecting the platform from hate speech," adding that it "fights disinformation" and that its algorithm "is designed to avoid recommending hateful content."

According to a report by French newspaper Le Monde, the whistleblower suspects that X has manipulated its content recommendation algorithm to deliberately amplify far-right content and increase the visibility of specific candidates during recent elections in Europe.

The report said that the investigation is focused on two alleged offenses classified under the French Penal Code as serious cybercrimes, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros.

French police launch investigation into social media platform X

French police launch investigation into social media platform X

French police launch investigation into social media platform X

French police launch investigation into social media platform X

China is willing to open its original technologies to the whole world and share the fruits of innovation with all people, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Friday at a press conference in Beijing.

Lin noted that innovation has become a keyword for China's economic and social development.

The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development adopted in October 2025 mentioned "innovation" 61 times, Lin said.

In recent years, according to the spokesman, China has seen major sci-tech achievements emerge thick and fast, and its global innovation index ranking has risen from 34th in 2012 to 10th in 2025.

"China has long regarded science and technology as the primary productive force. Through strengthened conceptual guidance, policy direction and institutional reforms, it has effectively leveraged its market and talent advantages, enabling enterprises to become the main actors of innovation. Through persistent and long-term efforts, China has forged a successful path with technological innovation leading industrial innovation, and industrial upgrading, in turn, promoting technological iteration. This has made innovation a fundamental driving force behind China's economic development," said Lin.

Lin said while competition may accompany the process of innovation, it is by no means the goal of innovation.

"China's innovation is notably open and open-source, in pursuit of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. China's space station has attracted the participation of 23 institutions from 17 countries for its first batch of cooperation projects. China's FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope) is open to observation applications from scientists worldwide. China has initiated the establishment of a global artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation organization and proposed the AI+ International Cooperation Initiative, and is committed to promoting open, inclusive, and beneficial AI development for all. DeepSeek is open to global developers in an open-source manner for use and improvement. These are just a few examples among many," Lin said.

"China is willing to share original technologies and innovation scenarios with the world. Through open cooperation, it aims for mutual empowerment and common growth, ensuring that the fruits of innovation better benefit all humanity," he said.

China willing to open its original technologies to world: FM spokesman

China willing to open its original technologies to world: FM spokesman

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