French prosecutors raid X Paris offices
French authorities have searched the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X, stepping up a criminal investigation into how the platform’s algorithm and its Grok AI chatbot handle harmful content.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said its cybercrime unit carried out the search with help from Europol. The move is tied to an investigation launched earlier this year after complaints about what X’s systems were promoting to users. Since then, the scope has expanded to include sexually explicit deepfakes, Holocaust-denial material, and other illegal content circulating on the platform.
In a press release, the prosecutor’s office said: "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 law, insofar as it operates within the national territory," it said.
Prosecutors also said that the inquiry now covers allegations linked to Grok, including what Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau described as “Grok’s sexualized deepfakes.” A recent study estimates that the chatbot may have generated up to three million sexualized images in just 11 days in January, including around 23,000 involving children.
Owner Elon Musk and former X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for hearings in April as part of the investigation. X staff based in France are also expected to be questioned as witnesses.
The investigation builds on earlier scrutiny of Grok after antisemitic outbursts last summer and comes as European regulators tighten oversight of big tech. The European Commission has opened a separate investigation under the EU’s online platforms rules and is also weighing potential restrictions under the EU’s AI laws.
X has not commented on the latest search. In the past, the company has framed the French investigation as an attack on free speech, and previously called the expanded investigation “politically-motivated,” while denying any manipulation of its algorithm.
The Paris prosecutor’s office also announced it would stop posting updates on X and instead communicate via LinkedIn and Instagram going forward.
