French prosecutors have confirmed the raiding of Elon Musk’s social media company, X, by the city's cyber-crime unit. The operation is part of an ongoing investigation into alleged offences such as illegal data extraction and complicity in possessing child pornography.
The investigation was initiated in January 2025 and initially targeted content curated by X’s algorithm. However, it has since expanded to scrutinize the company's AI chatbot, Grok.
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, both Elon Musk and the former CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, have been summoned to hearings scheduled for April.
X has not issued a statement regarding the raid but previously described the investigation as politically charged and a violation of free speech. The company denied any allegations of manipulating its algorithm.
The prosecution is looking into whether X may have violated several laws, including complicity in possessing or distributing pornographic images of minors, infringement of image rights through sexual deepfakes, and fraudulent data extraction by an organized group.
In a related matter, UK authorities are conducting their own investigation into sexual deepfakes produced by Musk's AI tool, Grok, which reportedly utilizes real images of women without their consent. Ofcom categorized this investigation as urgent, while the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced its own inquiry into the processing of personal data concerning Grok.
William Malcom, the executive director for regulatory risk and innovation at the ICO, expressed serious concerns regarding Grok, stating it raises troubling questions about how personal data has been misused to create intimate or sexualized images without individuals' knowledge or consent, as well as whether proper safeguards were implemented to protect users.
The European Commission has also initiated an investigation into xAI, the parent company of X, regarding these images and is working with French authorities on the Paris office raid.
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, criticized the French government’s actions, claiming that France is the only nation prosecuting social media platforms that provide users with some level of freedom. He remarked, 'Do not be mistaken: this is not a free country.'
Durov himself was arrested and detained in France in August 2024 due to alleged moderation failures on Telegram but was later allowed to leave after the platform made certain operational adjustments, including divulging some user data to authorities.
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