French police have raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X and ordered the billionaire to face questioning in April, escalating a year-long investigation into the company’s algorithms, data practices and the spread of illegal content. The move comes as regulators across Europe intensify scrutiny of X and other major technology firms over child safety, artificial intelligence and content moderation.

French police raided the offices of Elon Musk's social media network X and summoned the tech billionaire to face questions in April related to a widening probe into alleged algorithmic bias https://t.co/lJdsOFo9Mj pic.twitter.com/mAuoPQq7QN

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 3, 2026

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the search was carried out by its cybercrime unit alongside the national police cybercrime division and Europol. Prosecutors confirmed that Musk and X’s former chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, have been summoned to a hearing on April 20 in their capacity as managers of the platform at the time of the alleged offenses. Other X staff members have also been called as witnesses. Yaccarino resigned from her role in July last year.

After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏.

When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me…

— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) July 9, 2025

The raid is tied to an investigation launched more than a year ago into suspected abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives. French authorities said the scope of the probe has since widened significantly following complaints related to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Musk’s company xAI and integrated into the platform.

In a statement that has since been deleted along with their entire X account, prosecutors said they are now investigating alleged complicity in the possession and distribution of child abuse images, as well as violations of image rights through the creation and dissemination of sexually explicit deepfakes. Other potential offenses under review include fraudulent extraction of data, falsified operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group, and the operation of an illegal online platform.

The investigation was initiated after French lawmaker Éric Bothorel filed a complaint alleging that biased algorithms on X distorted the functioning of its automated systems. Bothorel argued that changes to the platform after Musk’s 2022 acquisition reduced the diversity of voices and altered the type of content promoted to users. Another complaint cited an increase in offensive political content. After news of the raid, Bothorel said his complaint from January 2025 was yielding results and emphasized that, under the rule of law, no one is above the law.

En Europe et singulièrement en France, l'Etat de Droit signifie que "nul n'est au-dessus des lois" et que la règlementation européenne, retranscrite dans le droit français, s'impose à toutes et tous.

Heureux que ma plainte de janvier 2025 soit suivie d'effets ! https://t.co/g9rjykPbZ8

— Éric Bothorel #FluctuatNecMergitur (@ebothorel) February 3, 2026

“In Europe, and particularly in France, the Rule of Law means that “no one is above the law” and that European regulations, once transposed into French law, are binding on everyone. Happy that my complaint from January 2025 is being followed up with action!”

French prosecutors said in November that they were expanding the inquiry to include the behavior of Grok after reports that the chatbot engaged in Holocaust denial by repeating false claims associated with denial of Nazi Germany’s murder of six million Jews. The tool has since triggered further backlash for allowing users to generate non-consensual sexualized images of people, including children, even when users warned that the subjects did not consent. xAI imposed some restrictions on Grok’s image generation features last month following public outcry. Authorities said the summonses issued to Musk and Yaccarino are mandatory, though they are harder to enforce for individuals who do not live in France. After the April hearing, investigators can decide whether to shelve or continue the probe and potentially place suspects in custody.

X did not immediately comment on the raid. In July, Musk denied the initial allegations and said French prosecutors were launching a politically motivated criminal investigation. The company has previously argued that the case distorts French law to serve a political agenda and restrict free speech, while saying it would defend its rights and protect user data. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the investigation was being conducted as part of a constructive approach aimed at ensuring that X complies with French law insofar as it operates on national territory. The office also announced that it would stop communicating on X and instead use LinkedIn and Instagram for official updates.

The French action is part of a broader wave of regulatory pressure on X across Europe. Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office has opened a formal investigation into the Grok chatbot over how it processes personal data and its potential to generate harmful sexualized images and videos. Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, said it is setting out the next steps in a separate investigation into whether X has done enough to mitigate the risk of sexual deepfakes spreading on its platform, though it noted that xAI currently falls outside the scope of its powers.

At the European Union level, regulators last week launched their own investigation into X to assess whether it disseminated illegal content, following widespread outrage over manipulated sexualized images produced by Grok. Europol said it is supporting the French investigation through its European Cybercrime Centre and has deployed a specialist to Paris, adding that it stands ready to continue assisting as the case progresses.

The raid and summons of Musk risk further straining relations between Europe and the United States over the regulation of big technology companies and the balance between free speech and online safety, as European governments move toward stricter enforcement against platforms they say have failed to curb harmful and illegal content.