The French offices of Elon Musk’s X were raided by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit as part of an investigation into suspected offenses, including unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography.
According to X, the search was carried out by the prosecutor’s cybercrime unit in partnership with the French police’s own cybercrime division and Europol.
The raid took place on Tuesday in Paris as part of a preliminary inquiry that began in January 2025, when French prosecutors started examining content recommended by X’s algorithm. The investigation was later expanded in July to include Musk’s controversial AI chatbot, Grok.
At the time, X described the action as “politically motivated” and denied allegations that it had manipulated its algorithm.
Following Tuesday’s raid, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that both Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had been summoned to appear at hearings in April.
Potential crimes under investigation include complicity in the possession or organized distribution of child pornography, infringement of individuals’ image rights through sexual deepfakes, and fraudulent data extraction by an organized group.
The Paris prosecutor’s office also stated that it would be closing its account on X and would communicate via LinkedIn and Instagram instead.
While X has yet to comment on the latest development, the company’s global government affairs account has previously criticized the French investigation as “politically motivated” and said it “categorically denies” the allegations.
Meanwhile, UK authorities have provided an update on their investigations into sexual deepfakes created by Grok and shared on X.
These images, often made using real images of women without their consent, drew widespread criticism in January from victims, online safety campaigners, and politicians. The company eventually intervened to stop the practice after the British government agency Ofcom and other regulators launched investigations.
In an update on Tuesday, Ofcom said it was continuing to investigate the platform and was treating the matter as “a matter of urgency.”
However, it added that it currently lacked the powers to investigate the creation of illegal images by Grok in this case.
Shortly afterward, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced it would launch its own probe, in conjunction with Ofcom, into the processing of personal data related to Grok.
“The reports about Grok raise deeply troubling questions about how people’s personal data has been used to generate intimate or sexualized images without their knowledge or consent, and whether the necessary safeguards were put in place to prevent this,” said William Malcolm, the ICO’s executive director for regulatory risk and innovation.
