French police raid X headquarters, summon Musk over deepfake abuse and algorithm fraud

French law enforcement raided the Paris offices of Elon Musks social media company X on Tuesday as authorities expand their probe into suspected wrongdoing on the platform. The move adds to mounting regulatory pressure across Europe.

Paris prosecutorderesk and Linda Yaccarino, who previously served as X‘s chief executive, to appear for questioning on April 20. face inquiries as the people effectively running the platform, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Other employees from X will also be called in.

Lawmakercused X of hosting and spreading child sexual abuse material. The platform also allegedly carries posts denying crimes against humanity. Investigators are looking into claims of fraudulent data extraction and falsification.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the investigation aims to take “a constructive approach, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that X complies with French law.”

Authorities opened an investigation last year into how the platforms algorithms work, examining possible bias and manipulation. Prosecutors asked for access to the recommendation system and information about user content. X refused, calling it a “politically-motivated criminal investigation.”

The inquiry now includes Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot owned by X. Regulators in several countries raised concerns after people used it to generate images showing children and women without clothes, then shared those images on X. The women never gave permission.

xAI, the company that owns X, says it turned off the feature letting people create sexualized images of real individuals using Grok. Musk has said the company maintains “zero tolerance” for child sexual abuse material and nude images created without consent. In July, he rejected the initial accusations and described the French investigation as politically driven.

The European Commission launched a separate formal investigation on January 27 into whether X properly handled the Grok controversy. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said platforms like X have “very clear obligations” to restrict illegal content. The Commission wants to know how X assessed and reduced risks as Grok became more integrated into its services.

X could face fines up to 6% of its worldwide annual revenue if it violated the Digital Services Act. Virkkunen confirmed the Commission has been talking with X throughout the process, though Musk has publicly criticized EU regulations.

The January probe follows an earlier penalty. In December, the EU fined X 120 million euros, to about $140 million, for the blocs digital regulations. That marked the first time the EU issued a non-compliance decision under the Digital Services Act.

European regulators Xs blue checkmarks rules against deceptive design practices. Before Musk the platform in 2022, the checkmarks were mainly for celebrities, and influential accounts. After the purchase, X selling them to anyone willing to pay $8 monthly. The Commission said this made it for users to if accounts were authentic.

X also faileansparency requirements for its advertising database. The platform must provide details about who paid for ads and their target audience, but the database searchable or reliable.

The Trump administration the December fine. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio i attack on American tech platforms and the American people. Vice President JD Vance accused the Commission of to force X into censorship.

Cybercrime specialists are handling the French case with police investigators and Europol. The investigation after a French parliament member contacted prosecutors about concerns that biased algorithms on X were distorting how automated data systems operated.

The Paris prosecutors office announce will no longer use X for official communications. It plans to shift to LinkedIn and Instagram instead. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, while Instagram belongs to Meta.

Other X employees called to testify will appear as witnesses. The prosecutors office how many staff will be questioned or when those hearings will French authorities say they want platforms operating within the country to national laws.

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