A French lawmaker has raised concerns about Elon Musk’s influence over social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and its potential impact on democratic processes in Europe.
In a letter obtained by POLITICO, lawmaker Philippe Bothorel emphasized Musk’s “personal involvement in the management of the platform, as well as in several elections concerning European countries,” warning that it presents a “real danger and threat to our democracies.”
The investigation into X also stems from a separate complaint, initially reported by the French weekly Le Canard enchaîné and reviewed by POLITICO. The complaint alleges that X “now hosts a vast amount of hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+, and homophobic political content,” which could distort democratic discourse in France.
The probe comes just days ahead of the AI Summit in Paris, where Musk has been invited to participate alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
This development follows a legal setback for X in Germany, where a Berlin court ruled that the platform must immediately grant researchers access to data on politically relevant content before the country’s February 23 election.
The ruling, also reviewed by POLITICO, raises fresh concerns about X’s adherence to European regulations ahead of Germany’s federal vote and represents one of the first major legal tests under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Chris Lunday and Eliza Gkritsi contributed to this report.
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