DOJ Declines French Request for Assistance in X Criminal Probe

The U.S. Department of Justice has refused to assist French authorities in a criminal investigation targeting social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. French authorities launched the probe in July, alleging the platform engaged in activities that violated French law. Investigators sought evidence from X's U.S. offices through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request. In response, the Justice Department characterized the French investigation as "an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform." An xAI official stated there was "no wrongdoing" and called the probe a "baseless investigation." The company is owned by Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X. The DOJ's decision represents a significant development in cross-border tech regulation, highlighting tensions between U.S. tech companies and European regulatory authorities.