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French cyber-crime unit raids X offices in Paris
Paris prosecutors conducted a search at the French headquarters of Elon Musk's social media platform X on Tuesday, probing allegations that include unlawful data extraction and involvement in child sexual abuse imagery.
Musk and former CEO summoned to hearings
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that both Musk and Linda Yaccarino, X's former chief executive, have been called to appear at hearings in April as part of the investigation. No response has been issued by X to date, though the BBC has sought comment.
In earlier statements, X had dismissed the French inquiry as an assault on free expression.
Scope of the French investigation
The probe began in January 2025, initially focusing on content promoted by X's recommendation algorithm. It expanded in July to include Grok, Musk's AI chatbot, after prosecutors broadened their scrutiny.
Following Tuesday's raid, authorities said they are examining multiple potential violations, including complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, unauthorized use of individuals' images in sexual deepfakes, and organized fraudulent data extraction.
UK launches separate probe into Grok's AI-generated content
On the same day, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced an investigation into Grok, citing concerns over its capacity to produce harmful sexualized imagery and videos. The move follows complaints from victims, activists, and lawmakers in January over non-consensual deepfake images shared on X.
While UK media regulator Ofcom stated it lacked sufficient authority to investigate Grok's role in creating illegal content, the ICO will examine whether personal data was improperly processed in generating such material.
"The reports about Grok raise serious questions about the use of personal data to create intimate or sexualized images without consent, and whether adequate safeguards were in place," said William Malcolm, the ICO's executive director for regulatory risk and innovation.
EU and global reactions
The European Commission is already scrutinizing Musk's AI firm, xAI, over similar concerns. A spokesperson confirmed contact with French authorities regarding Tuesday's raid.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticized the French action, calling it an outlier in targeting platforms that offer users freedom of expression. Durov, who faced arrest in France last August over moderation failures on Telegram, was released in March after agreeing to share user data with authorities upon legal request.
Next steps
X has yet to publicly address either the French or UK investigations. The April hearings for Musk and Yaccarino could shed further light on the platform's role in the alleged offenses.
