Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit searches Elon Musk’s X office

The Paris prosecutor’s cyber-crime unit has raided the French offices of Elon Musk’s X as part of an investigation into alleged unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography.

Both Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for hearings in April. Concurrently, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating Musk’s AI tool, Grok, for its potential to produce harmful sexualized content.

The French investigation, initiated in January 2025, initially focused on content recommended by X’s algorithm but later expanded to include Grok following claims of manipulation, which X dismissed as “politically motivated.”

French prosecutors are probing potential legal violations related to images of child pornography, infringements of image rights through sexual deepfakes, and fraudulent data extraction.

In a related matter, UK authorities have expressed urgency in investigating sexual deepfakes created by Grok, prompted by criticism from victims and online safety advocates.

Although Ofcom lacks the powers to examine Grok’s creation of illegal images, the ICO is collaborating with Ofcom to assess data processing issues.

The European Commission is also investigating xAI, concerned about the images, and is in contact with French authorities regarding the search.