French prosecutors in Paris announced on Thursday that the nation's cybercrime unit has escalated its investigation into Elon Musk and his social media platform X to a formal criminal inquiry. The prosecutors stated that on April 20, French authorities issued summonses to Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino, both of whom refused to appear for questioning. In February of this year, French law enforcement raided X's Paris office, after which Musk described the investigation as a "political attack."
The probe was initiated at the request of French parliamentarian Eric Bothorel in early 2025 and focuses on two main areas. The first involves complaints alleging that the X platform used algorithmic manipulation to influence and interfere with French politics. The second concerns accusations that Musk and X deliberately allowed users of its AI chatbot, Grok, to create and disseminate Holocaust-denial content and non-consensual sexually explicit deepfake images on the platform.
Grok was developed by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, which previously acquired the fully-owned X platform and merged earlier this year with Musk's reusable rocket firm, SpaceX. A version of Grok has also been integrated into electric vehicles produced by Musk's automotive company, Tesla Motors. Judicial authorities in several other countries and regions are also investigating X and Grok, with the California Attorney General's office conducting a parallel inquiry.
These investigations generally focus on whether Musk and his companies intentionally permitted users to create and distribute sexually explicit deepfake images, including child sexual abuse material, based on photos or videos used without the subjects' consent. According to reports, in April of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice informed French authorities that it would not assist in the investigation of Musk and the X platform, while also accusing France of improperly interfering with the operations of an American business. Spokespersons for Musk and SpaceX have not yet responded to requests for comment, and the U.S. Department of Justice and the Paris prosecutor's office have also not issued statements regarding the matter.
