French authorities executed a search at the offices of Elon Musk’s social media company X on Tuesday morning and issued a summons for the billionaire owner to appear at a hearing in April.
The operation, led by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit in conjunction with the French national cyber unit and the EU police agency Europol, signifies a deepening of the existing probe into X. The investigation centers on suspected algorithm misuse, alongside accusations concerning deepfake imagery and broader issues related to content produced by the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok.
The prosecutor’s office stated the search was conducted with “the ultimate goal of ensuring the X platform’s adherence to French law,” highlighting a specific focus on X’s Grok, developed by xAI. Chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated the AI has resulted “in the spread of Holocaust denial material and sexually explicit deepfakes.”
Europol spokesperson Jan Op Gen Oorth was cited by the Associated Press confirming that the police agency “is supporting the French authorities in this.”
Both Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been called for “voluntary interviews” with French prosecutors on April 20. (Yaccarino stepped down from her position in July of the previous year.) The Paris prosecutor’s office also stated that “Employees of platform X were likewise summoned for the week of April 20-24, 2026, to provide witness testimony.”
Following the search, the office also declared it was ceasing its use of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and directed the public to find it on other platforms.
TIME has reached out to X and Musk for a statement.
The French national police joined the investigation in July, after it was first initiated early last year, to examine claims of disrupted data processing system operations and illicit data extraction.
In a statement posted on the social media platform, X stated it “categorically denie[d] these allegations.”
The platform asserted that the probe was “politically motivated,” claiming it “severely violates X’s fundamental right to due process and endangers our users’ rights to privacy and free expression.”
Targeting Éric Bothorel, a legislator instrumental in starting the investigation, X said: “Mr. Bothorel has alleged that X manipulated its algorithm for ‘foreign interference’ purposes, a claim that is entirely untrue.”
“X is of the view that this investigation is twisting French law to advance a political agenda and, in the end, limit free speech.”
In reply, the lawmaker stated: “Do you consider yourselves above French, European, and even American laws? There is no freedom without responsibility and oversight.”
The potential offenses now under investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office include complicity in possessing child pornography, complicity in the organized distribution or provision of child pornography, and image defamation (sexual deepfakes).
Soon after the news emerged from France on Tuesday morning, the U.K. data privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), declared it is initiating its own investigations into X “regarding the Grok artificial intelligence system and its capacity to generate harmful sexualized image and video content.”
The ICO stated it is undertaking these investigations “in response to reports that Grok has been utilized to produce non-consensual sexual images of individuals, including children,” adding that “the reported generation and distribution of such material raises major concerns under U.K. data protection law and poses a risk of substantial potential harm to the public.”
The ICO’s inquiry comes after that of U.K. regulator Ofcom, which began a formal investigation into X on January 12.
“Ofcom was among the first global regulators to respond to alarming reports of the Grok AI chatbot on X being used to generate and share degrading sexual deepfakes of real individuals, including children, which could constitute criminal offenses,” Ofcom said in a new statement released Tuesday. “Our investigation is still proceeding, and we maintain close collaboration with the ICO and other bodies to ensure technology companies safeguard users and their privacy.”
Grok’s deepfake issue has faced intense examination in recent months after users on X began using it to digitally undress women. The surge of non-consensual deep fakes created on the platform sparked global anger and alarm.
After British legislators called for measures, X restricted Grok’s deepfake capability to paying subscribers only. British Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the step did “not go anywhere near enough” to resolve the problem.
“The Data Act, enacted last year, criminalized the creation—or solicitation of the creation—of non-consensual intimate images. Today, I can inform the House that this offense will be enforced this week and that I will also designate it a priority offense under the Online Safety Act,” Kendall declared on January 12.
“This signifies that individuals are committing a criminal offense if they produce—or attempt to produce—such content, including on X, and anyone who does so should anticipate facing the full force of the law,” she further stated.
A few days later, X announced it would work on preventing its AI from removing the clothing from images of real people.
“We have enacted technical safeguards to stop the Grok account from permitting the editing of images of real people in revealing attire like bikinis,” a statement read. “This limitation is effective for all users, including those with paid subscriptions.”
Major concerns persist, and the European Commission started a formal investigation into X pursuant to the Digital Services Act (DSA) on January 26.
In a prior incident, Musk’s AI firm issued an apology last year after Grok generated offensive posts. During the backlash, a company executive acknowledged that “Grok was excessively compliant with user commands. Essentially, it was too willing to please and be manipulated.”