DOJ Declines to Assist French Criminal Probe Into Elon Musk’s X Platform

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally notified French authorities that it will not cooperate with an ongoing criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, accusing Paris prosecutors of improperly leveraging the criminal legal system against an American technology company. The refusal marks a significant transatlantic rift over digital regulation and free speech.

The French investigation, formally launched by the Paris prosecutor’s office in July 2025, centers on allegations that X’s recommendation algorithm may have been altered to amplify certain viewpoints in ways that could constitute foreign interference or manipulation of public discourse. French prosecutors opened the probe under laws targeting tampering with automated data systems and organized criminal fraud, a broad statutory framework that can carry significant penalties for corporate defendants. Investigators reportedly sought cooperation from American authorities to obtain access to X’s proprietary algorithm and internal communications, a request that would typically flow through mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) between the two nations.

The DOJ’s refusal represents a notable departure from routine transatlantic law enforcement cooperation. In a letter to French counterparts, U.S. officials reportedly argued that the investigation appeared to weaponize criminal law to regulate speech-related decisions that are protected in the United States under the First Amendment. Musk, who acquired the platform then known as Twitter in October 2022 for roughly $44 billion and subsequently rebranded it as X, has repeatedly clashed with European governments over content moderation. He has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has loosened many of the platform’s prior moderation policies, reinstating previously banned accounts and reducing staffing in trust and safety operations.

The diplomatic friction arrives amid a broader realignment in how Washington approaches European tech regulation. The Trump administration has publicly criticized EU digital rules as discriminatory against American firms, and Vice President JD Vance used a February 2025 speech in Munich to warn European allies against what he characterized as censorship of political speech. Musk himself has become a prominent political figure, having led the Department of Government Efficiency earlier in 2025 before a public falling-out with President Trump. Observers will be watching whether French authorities press forward with compulsory measures, whether the dispute escalates into a broader diplomatic matter, and whether other European nations pursuing similar inquiries — including Germany and the United Kingdom — receive comparable treatment from the DOJ going forward.