Paris Raid Targets Child Abuse Material Allegations
Paris Raid on X 🚨
French prosecutors, supported by France’s National Gendarmerie and Europol, raided the X offices in Paris as part of a criminal investigation into allegations that the platform facilitated child sexual abuse material and other illegal content. The probe began in January following complaints that accused X of aiding in the possession and distribution of such material.
Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for voluntary interviews in Paris in April as part of the investigation. Lawmakers have also reported sexually explicit deepfakes featuring minors generated by X’s AI, Grok. The inquiry covers illegal content, denial of crimes against humanity, unauthorized data extraction, and operating an illicit online platform.
Prosecutors stated that company employees must testify as witnesses, but no charges have been filed yet. X claims that the raid on its Paris office is a politicized probe targeting employees unfairly. The company denies any wrongdoing, calling the raid baseless, and vows to defend its rights and users.
“French judicial authorities raided X’s Paris office today in connection with a politicized criminal investigation into alleged manipulation of algorithms and purported fraudulent data extraction. We are disappointed by this development, but we are not surprised,” the company stated on X.
Additionally, UK authorities are investigating sexual deepfakes made by Grok on X. Ofcom has labeled it urgent but lacks powers over chatbots, while the ICO probes personal data misuse. The EU is also examining xAI, coordinating with France following the raid on X’s Paris office.
Musk has described the investigation as a “political attack.”