Magali Berdah Accuses Social Media Platform X of Complicity in a Cyberbullying Campaign Orchestrated by Rapper Booba

Influencer Magali Berdah, head of Shauna Events, has accused social media platform X of enabling a large-scale cyberbullying campaign initiated by rapper Booba, which escalated into death threats against her. In November 2023, she filed a formal complaint with civil action, accusing X of complicity in aggravated moral harassment. This complaint led to the opening of a judicial inquiry in July 2024, as confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office to franceinfo on Wednesday, December 4.

The case dates back to the spring of 2022, when Magali Berdah reported an intensive cyberbullying campaign conducted via Twitter, now rebranded as X. Her legal team welcomed the inquiry: “This investigation will allow the judiciary to assess X’s role in the harassment endured by Magali Berdah and determine the platform’s criminal liability.”

Responsibility Under Scrutiny

The complaint filed in November 2023 accuses X, owned by Elon Musk, of deliberately allowing Booba’s account to remain active, which he allegedly used to spread hateful messages and incite harassment. According to the complaint, despite “multiple reports” and being “fully aware of the facts,” the platform refused to suspend the account, effectively enabling the acts of harassment. Magali Berdah claims that X became complicit by continuing to provide its services to the rapper.

An earlier complaint lodged in April 2023 against Twitter was dismissed due to the lack of “sufficiently substantiated” violations. However, by refiling her complaint in November with civil action, Magali Berdah secured the appointment of an investigating judge, breathing new life into the case.

Booba Already Indicted

On May 25, 2022, Magali Berdah initially filed a complaint to expose the harassment campaign. Since then, several legal proceedings have been initiated, resulting in Booba’s indictment and placement under judicial supervision in October 2023 for aggravated moral harassment. While the rapper, whose real name is Élie Yaffa, has yet to stand trial, the Paris Criminal Court has already convicted 28 individuals for aggravated cyberbullying in connection with the case. The court found that these acts directly stemmed from Booba’s publications, which the offenders were fully aware of.

This case raises significant questions about the accountability of digital platforms in managing and preventing online abuse and could set a legal precedent in the fight against cyberbullying.