French prosecutors raided Elon Musk’s X offices in Paris on Tuesday as part of an expanding cybercrime investigation examining possible complicity in offenses that violate French law, including child sexual abuse images, sexually explicit deepfakes, Holocaust denial, denial of crimes against humanity, and manipulation of automated data systems as part of an organized group, among other charges.
Prosecutors also asked Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to appear for voluntary interviews on April 20, while company employees were summoned as witnesses.
Authorities said the investigation, which began in January 2025, initially stemmed from claims by a French lawmaker that biased algorithms on X distorted automated systems. It later expanded after Musk’s AI chatbot Grok generated posts allegedly denying the Holocaust and spreading sexually explicit deepfakes, offenses that are criminal under French law. Grok later acknowledged errors in one widely circulated post and said it had been removed.
The Paris prosecutors’ office said the searches were aimed at ensuring X complies with French law. Europol confirmed it is supporting French authorities. X is also facing mounting pressure from European Union regulators, including a separate investigation into deepfake content and a prior €120 million fine for violations of the bloc’s digital regulations.
