French Authorities Escalate Probe into X with Office Raid and Musk Summons
In a significant development, French police conducted a raid on the offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X in Paris on Tuesday. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the action and announced that Musk, along with former CEO Linda Yaccarino, has been ordered to appear for questioning in April. This move is part of a broadening investigation that now encompasses multiple serious allegations against the platform.
Investigation Expands to Include AI Chatbot and Serious Content Violations
The initial probe, which has been ongoing for over a year, focused on suspected abuses of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives. However, the prosecutor's office stated that the scope has been widened following complaints regarding the functioning of X's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok. The investigation will now also delve into alleged complicity in the detention and diffusion of child-pornographic images and violations of image rights through sexually explicit deepfakes, among other potential crimes.
Several X staff members have also been summoned as witnesses in the case. There has been no immediate comment from X regarding the latest developments. In July, Musk denied the initial accusations, characterizing the French prosecutors' actions as a "politically-motivated criminal investigation."
Constructive Approach Aimed at Compliance with French Law
The Paris prosecutor's office emphasized that the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive approach. "At this stage, the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French laws, insofar as it operates on national territory," the office said in a statement.
The investigation is being led by the prosecutor's cybercrime unit, in collaboration with the French police's own cybercrime unit and Europol. It was initiated after a lawmaker contacted the office, alleging that biased algorithms on X were likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system.
Prosecutor's Office Leaves X Platform for Alternative Social Media
In a related move, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that it is leaving the X social media platform. From now on, it will communicate through LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, and Instagram, which belongs to Meta. This decision underscores the growing tensions between French authorities and the platform amid the ongoing legal scrutiny.
