French Prosecutors Escalate X Investigation with Police Raid and Summons for Elon Musk

03, Feb. 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office has significantly escalated its yearlong investigation into the social media platform X. Originally opened following concerns from lawmaker Éric Bothorel regarding the platform’s algorithm, the inquiry expanded after X’s A.I. chatbot, Grok, was accused of spreading sexual deepfakes and Holocaust denial claims.

The investigation now encompasses seven specific criminal accusations, including complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature, the denial of crimes against humanity, and fraudulent extraction of data. In a major move highlighting the growing trans-Atlantic standoff over tech regulation, French police recently searched X’s premises in France and prosecutors issued a summons to owner Elon Musk.

The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office is investigating X in relation to seven accusations. According to the city’s chief prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, the specific criminal accusations include:

Complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature;

Denial of crimes against humanity; and

Fraudulent extraction of data.

The inquiry was initially opened following concerns raised by French lawmaker Éric Bothorel regarding the platform’s algorithm. The case was subsequently expanded following accusations that Grok, X’s A.I. chatbot, was spreading sexual deepfakes and Holocaust denial claims.

X’s A.I. chatbot, Grok, was the primary factor that caused the French investigation to expand beyond its initial scope.

While the inquiry was originally opened following concerns raised by lawmaker Éric Bothorel regarding the platform’s general algorithm, the case grew significantly due to specific accusations regarding the chatbot’s output. According to Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau, Grok contributed to the probe by reportedly spreading Holocaust denial claims and generating sexual deepfakes.

These specific behaviors appear to align with several of the seven criminal accusations currently being investigated by the Paris cybercrime division, specifically the denial of crimes against humanity and complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature.

French authorities have escalated the yearlong investigation into X by taking two significant actions on Tuesday. The French police searched the premises of X in France, and prosecutors issued a summons to the company’s owner, Elon Musk.

These moves have “raised the stakes” in the probe managed by the cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office. This escalation follows the expansion of the case to cover seven criminal accusations—including the denial of crimes against humanity and complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature—driven in part by reports that the platform’s A.I. chatbot, Grok, was spreading sexual deepfakes and Holocaust denial claims.

Based on the provided sources, there is no specific information detailing how European regulations have impacted American tech companies other than X.

However, the sources do note that the current investigation into X is occurring within the context of a “wider standoff between European officials and American tech companies over the regulation of social media”. The recent escalation involving police searches and summonses for X has reportedly heightened this “wider trans-Atlantic dispute over how to regulate tech companies”.

If you would like information regarding specific regulatory impacts on companies such as Meta, Google, or Apple, you need to consult sources outside of the provided scope.

Based on the provided sources, the “trans-Atlantic tech dispute” is described as a “wider standoff between European officials and American tech companies” centered on the “regulation of social media”,.

While the sources do not provide a comprehensive history of this conflict or list other specific companies involved, they highlight that the dispute focuses on “how to regulate tech companies”. The current investigation into X has “heightened” and “escalated” this broader conflict through two specific recent actions:

Police Raids: The French police searched X’s premises in France.

Summons of Executives: Prosecutors issued a summons to X’s owner, Elon Musk.

These actions are tied to regulatory enforcement regarding specific content moderation failures, including the platform’s alleged “complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature,” “denial of crimes against humanity,” and the functioning of its algorithm and A.I. chatbot, Grok.

The sources do not provide further details regarding specific European laws or other American companies involved in this dispute.

The investigation into X addresses “fraudulent extraction of data” as one of the seven specific criminal accusations currently being probed by the cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office.

While the provided sources do not detail the specific mechanics or victims of this alleged extraction, they note that the inquiry was originally opened following concerns regarding X’s algorithm, which is described as the “digital process that organizes data on the platform”. This accusation stands alongside other serious charges in the probe, including complicity in distributing child pornography and the denial of crimes against humanity.

It is not possible to list all seven criminal accusations because sources does not name them all.

The  investigation involves “seven accusations” total, but they only explicitly list three of them:

Complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature;

Denial of crimes against humanity; and

Fraudulent extraction of data.

The sources do not provide details regarding the specific nature of the remaining four accusations.

According to the statement regarding the investigation released by Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau, X’s algorithm is defined as “the digital process that organizes data on the platform”.

This definition was highlighted in the context of the initial probe, which was opened after French lawmaker Éric Bothorel wrote to prosecutors specifically expressing concerns about this process.

Éric Bothorel, a French centrist lawmaker, targeted the platform’s algorithm by writing to prosecutors because he had “concerns” regarding its function.

The sources do not specify the exact nature of Bothorel’s complaints or explain specifically why he found the algorithm problematic, beyond defining the algorithm itself as “the digital process that organizes data on the platform”.

Bothorel’s letter regarding these concerns was the specific action that caused the investigation to be “opened” initially. The inquiry was subsequently expanded to include other issues, such as the spread of “sexual deepfakes” and “Holocaust denial claims” by the A.I. chatbot Grok.

Based on the provided sources, the text does not explicitly confirm that formal charges are guaranteed, but it notes that the summons has significantly “raised the stakes” in the ongoing legal probe.

The summons issued to Elon Musk by the Paris prosecutor’s office connects him directly to a yearlong investigation into seven specific criminal accusations against his company. These accusations involve serious criminal conduct, including:

Complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature;

Denial of crimes against humanity; and

Fraudulent extraction of data.

By issuing a summons to the “company’s owner” alongside a police search of X’s premises, French prosecutors have escalated the matter beyond a general corporate inquiry into a specific legal confrontation involving Musk himself.

The provided sources do not state whether Elon Musk has responded to the summons from French authorities.

The text confirms only that French prosecutors issued the summons to the “company’s owner, Elon Musk” on Tuesday, an action that took place alongside a police search of X’s premises in France. The sources do not report on any subsequent reaction, statement, or legal response from Musk regarding this development.

There is no information regarding how the French investigation into X impacts the SpaceX program or the NASA Artemis rocket launch delay.

The sources focus exclusively on the legal probe into the social media platform X and the “wider standoff between European officials and American tech companies over the regulation of social media”.

While the text confirms that prosecutors have issued a summons to Elon Musk as the “company’s owner,” the specific accusations listed—such as “fraudulent extraction of data,” “denial of crimes against humanity,” and issues with the “A.I. chatbot” Grok—are entirely related to the operations of the social media platform X, not his aerospace company.