French prosecutors have raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of a cyber-crime investigation into alleged offences, including unlawful data extraction and links to child sexual abuse material.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino have been summoned to hearings in April. Investigators are examining whether X may have broken the law in several areas, including the handling of sexual deepfakes and the organised distribution of illegal images.
The investigation began in January 2025, focusing on content promoted by X’s algorithm. It was later expanded to include Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok. X has previously denied wrongdoing, calling the probe politically motivated and an attack on free speech.
Separately, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched an investigation into Grok over concerns it may generate harmful sexualised images and videos. The probe follows criticism over AI-generated sexual deepfakes, often created using images of real women without consent.
The ICO said it is working with Ofcom to examine how personal data may have been used and whether proper safeguards were in place. X has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The European Commission has also opened an investigation into Musk’s AI company, xAI, and says it is in contact with French authorities.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticised France’s actions, accusing the country of targeting platforms that allow free expression. Durov was arrested in France in 2024 over moderation concerns on Telegram and later released after changes were made to the app’s policies.
