French police searched X's Paris offices on Feb. 3 as part of a year‑long investigation into alleged algorithm misuse and unlawful data extraction. The probe has been widened to include allegations involving child‑pornographic images and sexually explicit deepfakes linked to the platform or its executives. Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned to appear on April 20; other staff have been called as witnesses. The inquiry is led by the prosecutor's cybercrime unit with support from the French police cyber unit and Europol.
Elon Musk Summoned to Paris After Cybercrime Raid on X Offices; Probe Expanded to Deepfakes
PARIS, Feb. 3 — French investigators on Tuesday carried out a search of X's Paris offices as part of a year-long probe into alleged misuse of algorithms and unlawful data extraction linked to the platform, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
The prosecutor's office said it has widened the investigation following complaints about the behaviour of X’s artificial-intelligence chatbot, Grok. The expanded probe will now also examine allegations of complicity in the possession and dissemination of images of a child‑pornographic nature and the misuse of people’s images through sexually explicit deepfakes, among other potential offences.
Who Has Been Summoned
Prosecutors have ordered Elon Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino to appear for questioning on April 20. Other X employees have been summoned as witnesses, the office added. There was no immediate comment from X.
Investigation Details and Coordination
The probe is being led by the prosecutor's cybercrime unit in cooperation with the French police cyber unit and Europol. Officials said the investigation began after a lawmaker complained that biased algorithms on X may have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system and prompted judicial scrutiny of the platform’s practices.
"At this stage, the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French laws, insofar as it operates on national territory," the Paris prosecutor's office said.
In July, Musk rejected earlier accusations tied to the original probe and called the French inquiry a "politically‑motivated criminal investigation." The prosecutor's office did not comment on that characterization.
Practical Consequences
Separately, the Paris prosecutor's office said it will no longer use X for official communications and will instead publish updates on LinkedIn and Instagram — platforms owned by Microsoft and Meta, respectively.
The investigation remains active and subject to judicial procedures. Reporting for this story included contributions from Inti Landauro and Sudip Kar‑Gupta, with writing by Ingrid Melander and editing by Alex Richardson.
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