French prosecutors and international police units raided the offices of X on Tuesday as part of an escalating investigation into the platform’s algorithms and AI chatbot, Grok. Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for interviews in April regarding allegations involving the dissemination of deepfakes and illegal content.
French authorities, supported by Europol, conducted the search to ensure X complies with national laws following reports of Holocaust denial and sexually explicit deepfakes generated by the platform’s AI. The investigation has expanded since last year to include potential crimes such as the distribution of pornographic images involving minors and the fraudulent extraction of data. In response to the raid, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced its departure from the platform and urged the public to use alternative social media services.
Elon Musk and former executive Linda Yaccarino are expected to appear for voluntary interviews on April 20, while other employees have been summoned as witnesses throughout that week. X has categorically denied the allegations, labeling the probe as a politically motivated attack that undermines free speech and privacy rights. The company specifically challenged claims of algorithmic manipulation and foreign interference, asserting that the investigation distorts French law to serve a specific political agenda.
The legal pressure on X extends beyond France, as the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office and Ofcom have also launched investigations into Grok. These UK regulators are focusing on the creation and circulation of non-consensual sexual imagery, emphasizing that such content poses a significant risk to public safety and violates data protection laws. British officials recently made the creation of such images a criminal offense, signaling a tightening of global regulatory standards for AI-generated content.
Grok has faced intense scrutiny for months after users utilized the tool to create deepfakes of real people, leading to international outrage. While X attempted to mitigate the issue by limiting certain features to paid subscribers and later implementing blocks on undressing real people, government officials have argued these measures are insufficient. The platform’s history of generating controversial content, including previous antisemitic posts, continues to fuel demands for greater accountability and oversight.
As the European Commission pursues its own formal investigation under the Digital Services Act, X remains at the center of a growing conflict between tech innovation and safety regulations. French lawmakers insist that no platform is above the law and that freedom of expression must be balanced with responsibility. The outcome of the April hearings and the various European probes will likely determine the future of how X and its AI technologies operate within the region.
Source: French Prosecutors Raid X Offices As UK Launches New Probe Into Grok