Paris Prosecutors Raid Elon Musk’s X Office
On Tuesday, prosecutors in Paris revealed that they had conducted a raid at the Paris office of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, and have summoned Musk himself.
This operation was led by France’s cybercrime police, with assistance from Europol and the Paris public prosecutor’s office. The raid is linked to a criminal investigation that began over a year ago, focusing on allegations of algorithm manipulation and the dissemination of illegal content, which reportedly includes sexual deepfakes.
Prosecutors mentioned that both Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino are required to appear at a hearing on April 20.
The inquiry into X stemmed from a complaint lodged by French lawmaker Eric Bottrell, who accused the platform of skewing its algorithms in a way that disrupts political discussions. Authorities later broadened the investigation to include concerns about X’s AI chatbot, Grok, following reports about its outputs.
Bottrell expressed satisfaction over the developments, mentioning, “I am pleased that my complaints from January 2025 are yielding results,” asserting that in Europe, especially in France, no one is above the law.
Prosecutors are investigating potential collusion in the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material, allegations of defamation via sexually explicit deepfakes, and content denying serious offenses like Holocaust denial.
Following the April hearing, prosecutors might decide to close the case, continue their investigation, or pursue further legal measures.
X has not yet responded to requests for comments regarding this situation. The raid in France coincides with a broader tightening of restrictions across Europe concerning X and its AI systems.
Earlier this year, the European Commission initiated a separate inquiry into Company X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), scrutinizing whether the company effectively assessed and mitigated risks associated with Grok before launching its services in the EU.
EU officials are examining if Grok facilitated the spread of illegal content, particularly sexually explicit images. The AI chatbot has faced backlash for generating non-consensual sexual images of minors, with X acknowledging the existence of such content and the “lack of safeguards.”
This investigation by the European Commission follows a previous enforcement action where EU regulators fined X about $140 million under the DSA for allegedly misleading users with its paid verification and failing to provide adequate data access to researchers.
This fine drew sharp criticism from U.S. officials, who accused Brussels of unfairly targeting American companies and undermining free speech. Vice President J.D. Vance condemned the EU’s actions, suggesting they should prioritize free expression instead of “attacking American companies.”
In the UK, media regulator Ofcom has also begun exploring whether X violated online safety laws by permitting Grok to generate sexual images. Additionally, Indian authorities have raised concerns regarding the chatbot producing sexual images of individuals without their consent.
