French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platform Billionaire owner Elon Musk has also been summoned for questioning, AP reported.
Tech tycoon Musk on Tuesday slammed French authorities’ raid of the offices of his social media network X, amid a probe into alleged political interference and sexual deepfakes.
“This is a political attack,” the billionaire wrote on social media, adding in a separate
What is the matter?
According to a report by the Associated PressThe French investigation was opened in January last year by the prosecutors’ cybercrime unit, the Paris prosecutors’ office said in a statement. It is looking into alleged “complicity” in possessing and spreading pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organized group, among other charges.
Prosecutors asked Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to attend “voluntary interviews” on April 20. Employees of
Yaccarino was CEO from May 2023 until July 2025.
In a post on its own service denying the allegations,
The Paris prosecutors’ office posted on X that searches are underway at the company’s French offices. In the message, it also said it was leaving the platform and encouraged followers to connect on other social media channels.
“At this stage, the conduct of the investigation is based on a constructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the
European Union police agency Europol “is supporting the French authorities in this,” Europol spokesperson Jan Op Gen Oorth told the AP, without elaborating.
Biased algorithms on
French authorities opened their investigation after reports from a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on
It expanded after Grok generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust, a crime in France, and spread sexually explicit deepfakes, the statement said.
Grok wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” rather than for mass murder — language long associated with Holocaust denial, AP reported.
In subsequent posts on
The chatbot also appeared to praise Adolf Hitler last year, in comments that
In Britain, the Information Commissioner’s Office said it is looking into whether
“The reports about Grok raise deeply troubling questions about how people’s personal data has been used to generate intimate or sexualised images without their knowledge or consent, and whether the necessary safeguards were put in place to prevent this,” said William Malcolm, an executive director at the watchdog.
He did not specify what the penalty would be if the probe found the companies did not comply with data protection laws.
A separate investigation into Grok launched last month by the UK media regulator, Ofcom, is ongoing.
Ofcom said Tuesday it is still gathering evidence and warned the probe could take months.
X has also faced pressure from the EU. Last month, the bloc’s executive arm launched an investigation after Grok generated nonconsensual, sexualized deepfake images on the platform.
Brussels previously fined
This is a political attack.
An abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives.
On Monday, Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, announced its acquisition of xAI in a deal that will integrate Grok,
(With inputs from agencies)
Key Takeaways
- The ongoing investigation highlights significant concerns regarding the misuse of AI and deepfake technology.
- Musk’s response illustrates the tension between tech companies and government regulations.
- The case raises broader questions about data privacy and the ethical responsibilities of social media platforms.
