The raid on Tuesday was linked to a probe launched in January last year into allegations that X used biased algorithms and engaged in fraudulent data extraction, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office in a statement posted on the platform.
French police have searched the Paris offices of X and summoned its owner, Elon Musk, for a hearing as part of an ongoing investigation into the social media platform, prosecutors said.
The raid on Tuesday was linked to a probe launched in January last year into allegations that X used biased algorithms and engaged in fraudulent data extraction, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office in a statement posted on the platform.
The investigation has since expanded following complaints about X’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, and now includes claims that the company may have been complicit in several possible crimes.
These include the possession and distribution of child sexual images, defamation through the creation of explicit “deepfake” content, Holocaust denial, and manipulation of automated data-processing systems.
Prosecutors have requested “voluntary interviews” with Musk the billionaire head of X’s parent company xAI, as well as SpaceX and Tesla and with the platform’s former chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, scheduled for April 20.
Other X employees, formerly part of Twitter before Musk bought the company in 2022, have also been called to testify as witnesses during the same week, the statement said.
“At this stage, the investigation is being conducted in a constructive manner, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French law while operating in national territory,” the prosecutor’s office added.
The inquiry is being handled by the prosecutor’s cybercrime division in cooperation with the French police cybercrime unit and the EU’s law enforcement agency, Europol.
In its statement, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said it was leaving X and advised the public to follow its updates on LinkedIn and Instagram instead.
X has not yet commented publicly on the raid or the summons. However, in July the company firmly denied accusations of algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction, saying it was committed to defending free expression, protecting user data and resisting political censorship.
France and the European Union have increased scrutiny of major technology platforms in recent years, arguing that companies such as X, Meta and TikTok have not done enough to curb illegal content, disinformation and hate speech.
French authorities have been among the strongest supporters of tougher oversight.
Last week, the European Commission opened an investigation into Grok over the creation of sexually explicit fake images involving women and minors.
The probe will examine whether the AI tool complies with obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to address harmful and illegal online material.
In December, the EU fined X 120 million euros ($141 million) for breaching the DSA’s transparency rules. Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, also launched a formal inquiry last month into X’s use of Grok to generate sexualised deepfakes.
The growing regulatory push has prompted criticism from the United States, which has warned that strict oversight could undermine free speech and unfairly target American technology firms.
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