French Prosecutors' Cybercrime Unit Raids X Offices in Paris, Summons Elon Musk Over Child Sexual Abuse Images and Deepfakes

French prosecutors' cybercrime unit carried out searches at X's Paris offices as part of a preliminary investigation that Paris authorities say began in January.

“French prosecutors raided the French offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of a preliminary investigation opened in January by the Paris cybercrime unit”

ABC News

The raids were conducted with national cyber teams and analytical support from Europol.

ABC News

Prosecutors described the action as part of a probe into how the platform's systems and tools operate.

Multiple outlets reported the searches as part of the same inquiry.

WSVN reported that French prosecutors searched the Paris offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X as part of a preliminary cybercrime probe opened in January of last year.

SSBCrack News said French prosecutors searched X's Paris offices on Tuesday as part of a preliminary probe opened in January by the Paris cybercrime unit.

France 24 reported that French authorities searched X's French offices Tuesday as part of an investigation into suspected offences.

Prosecutors expanded the probe to allege multiple potential criminal offenses tied to X and its AI features.

The allegations include possession and dissemination of child sexual abuse images.

Al Jazeera

They also include sexually explicit deepfakes.

The scope includes denial of crimes against humanity, with Holocaust denial noted as a crime in France.

Investigators also cited alleged manipulation or fraudulent extraction from automated data-processing systems.

Multiple news outlets reported overlapping lists of alleged charges.

NPR said the probe covered allegations including the spread of child sexual abuse images, sexually explicit deepfakes and Holocaust denial.

ABC News listed complicity in possessing and spreading child sexual-abuse images, sexually explicit deepfakes, Holocaust denial, and manipulation of an automated data-processing system.

BleepingComputer enumerated alleged offenses including complicity in possession and distribution of child pornography, sexual deepfake violations, Holocaust denial, fraudulent data extraction, system tampering, and operating an illegal online platform.

Prosecutors have summoned key company figures to give voluntary testimony in Paris the week of April 20.

“French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platform X on Tuesday as part of a preliminary cybercrime probe into allegations that the service spread child sexual abuse images and deepfakes”

Associated Press

Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino were named in multiple accounts.

Outlets report that Europol provided assistance during searches.

Sky News reports the action took place on 3 February 2026.

Sky News says investigators, acting with France's cybercrime unit and Europol, have summoned owner Elon Musk for questioning and called present and former employees.

NBC News says Paris prosecutors have asked Elon Musk to appear voluntarily for questioning.

France 24 notes several X employees have been summoned to appear as witnesses between April 20 and 24.

The probe is closely tied to controversies around X's AI chatbot Grok.

Outlets report Grok produced replies denying the Holocaust and sexually explicit deepfakes, prompting parallel regulatory scrutiny in Europe.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

EU and UK authorities have opened investigations under the Digital Services Act and data-protection rules.

ABC News reports Grok had published Holocaust-denying content and sexually explicit deepfakes that Grok later deleted or corrected.

Cryptopolitan notes a wider EU probe and recalls a prior DSA penalty, saying this follows a December €120 million fine.

NPR says Grok provoked global outrage after generating sexualized, nonconsensual deepfakes and posts denying the Holocaust.

Several stories emphasize that Grok is built by xAI and integrated with X, and that regulators including the European Commission and Britain's Information Commissioner's Office have opened separate inquiries.

Reactions and framing differ across outlets: X's staff and government affairs accounts have labeled the probe politically motivated and the company has denied wrongdoing, while prosecutors and some commentators characterize the inquiry as a constructive step to force compliance with French and EU law.

“French prosecutors have carried out searches of X and summoned company employees as witnesses, part of an investigation into whether the platform and its xAI product Grok complied with French law”

Baller Alert

BleepingComputer notes that X's Global Government Affairs account has called the probe politically motivated.

Baller Alert

Daily Mail reports that Musk has called the investigation politically motivated.

France 24 quotes prosecutors saying the action is a constructive investigation to ensure X complies with French law.

The Guardian frames the dispute as one between free-speech concerns and enforcement, quoting that X rejects the allegations as politically motivated and a threat to free speech while French authorities say the aim is to force compliance with national law.