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>The Paris prosecutor's office said it launched the investigation after being contacted by a lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms in X were likely to have

by why_at 8mo ago

>The Paris prosecutor's office said it launched the investigation after being contacted by a lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms in X were likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system. I'm not at all familiar with French law, and I don't have any sympathy for Elon Musk or X. That said, is this a crime? Distorted the operation how? By making their chatbot more likely to say stupid conspiracies or something? Is that even against the law?

DaSHacka 8mo ago
[flagged]
int_19h 8mo ago
Holocaust denial is illegal in France, for one, and Grok did exactly that on several occasions.
- pyrale 8mo ago
  Also, csam and pornographic content using the likeness of unwilling people. Grok’s recent shit was bound to have consequences.
  - chrisjj 8mo ago
    If the French suspected Grok/X of something as serious as CSAM, you can bet they would have mentioned it their statement. They didn't. Porn, they did.
    - pyrale 8mo ago
      The first two points of the official document, which I re-quote below, are about CSAM. > complicité de détention d’images de mineurs présentant un caractère pédopornographique > complicité de diffusion, offre ou mise à disposition en bande organisée d'image de mineurs présentant un caractère pédopornographique [1]: https://www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr/sites/default/files/2026-02/20260203CPXFrance.pdf https://www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr/sites/default/files...
      - chrisjj 8mo ago
        > The first two points of the official document, which I re-quote below, are about CSAM. Sorry, but that's a major translation error. "pédopornographique" properly translated is child porn, not child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The difference is huge.
        pyrale 8mo ago
        Quote from US doj [1]: > The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. In fact, in 2016, an international working group, comprising a collection of countries and international organizations working to combat child exploitation, formally recognized “child sexual abuse material” as the preferred term. Child porn is csam. [1]: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/child_sexual_abuse_material_2.pdf https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/child_sexual_abuse_materi...
        chrisjj 8mo ago
        > “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. Yes, CSAM is preferred for material depicting abuse reflecting resulting trauma. But not for child porn such as manga of fictional children depicting no abuse and traumatising no child. > Child porn is csam. "CSAM isn’t pornography—it’s evidence of criminal exploitation of kids." That's from RAINN, the US's largest anti-sexual violence organisation.
        pyrale 8mo ago
        Dude, I litterally provided terminology notice from the DOJ. At this point I don't really know what else will convince you.
        8mo ago
- vintermann 8mo ago
  Is "it" even a thing which can be guilty of that? The way chatbots actually work, I wonder if we shouldn't treat the things they say more or less as words in a book of fiction. Writing a character in your novel who is a plain parody of David Irving probably isn't a crime even in France. Unless the goal of the book as such was to deny the holocaust. As I see it, Grok can't be guilty. Either the people who made it/set its system prompt are guilty, if they wanted it to deny the holocaust. If not, they're at worst guilty of making a particularly unhinged fiction machine (as opposed to the more restrained fiction machines of Google, Anthropic etc.)
mschuster91 8mo ago
> I'm not at all familiar with French law, and I don't have any sympathy for Elon Musk or X. That said, is this a crime? GDPR and DMA actually have teeth. They just haven't been shown yet because the usual M.O. for European law violators is first, a free reminder "hey guys, what you're doing is against the law, stop it, or else". Then, if violations continue, maybe two or three rounds follow... but at some point, especially if the violations are openly intentional (and Musk's behavior makes that very very clear), the hammer gets brought down. Our system is based on the idea that we institute complex regulations, and when they get introduced and stuff goes south, we assume that it's innocent mistakes first. And in addition to that, there's the geopolitical aspect... basically, hurt Musk to show Trump that, yes, Europe means business and has the means to fight back. As for the allegations: > The probe has since expanded to investigate alleged “complicity” in spreading pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organised group, and other offences, the office said in a statement Tuesday. The GDPR/DMA stuff just was the opener anyway. CSAM isn't liked by authorities at all, and genocide denial (we're not talking about Palestine here, calm your horses y'all, we're talking about Holocaust denial) is a crime in most European jurisdiction (in addition to doing the right-arm salute and other displays of fascist insignia). We actually learned something out of WW2.
direwolf20 8mo ago
GDPR has some stuff about biased algorithms. It's all civil, of course, no prison time for that, just fines.

by why_at 8mo ago

DaSHacka 8mo ago

[flagged]

int_19h 8mo ago

Holocaust denial is illegal in France, for one, and Grok did exactly that on several occasions.

pyrale 8mo ago
Also, csam and pornographic content using the likeness of unwilling people. Grok’s recent shit was bound to have consequences.
- chrisjj 8mo ago
  If the French suspected Grok/X of something as serious as CSAM, you can bet they would have mentioned it their statement. They didn't. Porn, they did.
  - pyrale 8mo ago
    The first two points of the official document, which I re-quote below, are about CSAM. > complicité de détention d’images de mineurs présentant un caractère pédopornographique > complicité de diffusion, offre ou mise à disposition en bande organisée d'image de mineurs présentant un caractère pédopornographique [1]: https://www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr/sites/default/files/2026-02/20260203CPXFrance.pdf https://www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr/sites/default/files...
    - chrisjj 8mo ago
      > The first two points of the official document, which I re-quote below, are about CSAM. Sorry, but that's a major translation error. "pédopornographique" properly translated is child porn, not child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The difference is huge.
      - pyrale 8mo ago
        Quote from US doj [1]: > The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. In fact, in 2016, an international working group, comprising a collection of countries and international organizations working to combat child exploitation, formally recognized “child sexual abuse material” as the preferred term. Child porn is csam. [1]: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/child_sexual_abuse_material_2.pdf https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/child_sexual_abuse_materi...
        chrisjj 8mo ago
        > “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. Yes, CSAM is preferred for material depicting abuse reflecting resulting trauma. But not for child porn such as manga of fictional children depicting no abuse and traumatising no child. > Child porn is csam. "CSAM isn’t pornography—it’s evidence of criminal exploitation of kids." That's from RAINN, the US's largest anti-sexual violence organisation.
        pyrale 8mo ago
        Dude, I litterally provided terminology notice from the DOJ. At this point I don't really know what else will convince you.
        8mo ago
vintermann 8mo ago
Is "it" even a thing which can be guilty of that? The way chatbots actually work, I wonder if we shouldn't treat the things they say more or less as words in a book of fiction. Writing a character in your novel who is a plain parody of David Irving probably isn't a crime even in France. Unless the goal of the book as such was to deny the holocaust. As I see it, Grok can't be guilty. Either the people who made it/set its system prompt are guilty, if they wanted it to deny the holocaust. If not, they're at worst guilty of making a particularly unhinged fiction machine (as opposed to the more restrained fiction machines of Google, Anthropic etc.)

mschuster91 8mo ago

> I'm not at all familiar with French law, and I don't have any sympathy for Elon Musk or X. That said, is this a crime? GDPR and DMA actually have teeth. They just haven't been shown yet because the usual M.O. for European law violators is first, a free reminder "hey guys, what you're doing is against the law, stop it, or else". Then, if violations continue, maybe two or three rounds follow... but at some point, especially if the violations are openly intentional (and Musk's behavior makes that very very clear), the hammer gets brought down. Our system is based on the idea that we institute complex regulations, and when they get introduced and stuff goes south, we assume that it's innocent mistakes first. And in addition to that, there's the geopolitical aspect... basically, hurt Musk to show Trump that, yes, Europe means business and has the means to fight back. As for the allegations: > The probe has since expanded to investigate alleged “complicity” in spreading pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organised group, and other offences, the office said in a statement Tuesday. The GDPR/DMA stuff just was the opener anyway. CSAM isn't liked by authorities at all, and genocide denial (we're not talking about Palestine here, calm your horses y'all, we're talking about Holocaust denial) is a crime in most European jurisdiction (in addition to doing the right-arm salute and other displays of fascist insignia). We actually learned something out of WW2.

direwolf20 8mo ago

GDPR has some stuff about biased algorithms. It's all civil, of course, no prison time for that, just fines.