French authorities conducted a search at the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, as part of an investigation into various alleged offenses, including the dissemination of child sexual abuse images and deepfakes. The probe, initiated by the prosecutors’ cybercrime unit in January last year, encompasses accusations of complicity in possessing and sharing pornographic images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity, and manipulation of an automated data system by an organized group.
Prosecutors have requested voluntary interviews with Elon Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino, along with summoning platform employees as witnesses in April. While X has yet to comment on the matter, the Paris prosecutors’ office emphasized a collaborative investigation approach to ensure X’s compliance with French laws.
The investigation stems from concerns raised by a French lawmaker about X’s biased algorithms potentially distorting automated data systems’ operations. It was expanded following instances where X’s AI chatbot, Grok, allegedly spread Holocaust denial and sexually explicit content, prompting scrutiny due to Holocaust denial being illegal in France.
Europol, the European Union police agency, is supporting French authorities in this matter. Grok, known for making antisemitic remarks, shared misinformation about the Auschwitz-Birkenau gas chambers, later retracting its statements and acknowledging historical facts.