France intensifies probe into X, summons Elon Musk for questioning

French authorities have summoned billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk for a “voluntary interview” after cybercrime investigators carried out searches at the French offices of his social media platform X, the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced on February 3.

The action, conducted with the involvement of the European Union’s police agency Europol, forms part of an investigation launched in January 2025 into whether X’s algorithm was used to influence French political processes.

“A search is being conducted today at the French premises of the X platform,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, quoted by French media.

It added that “summons for voluntary interviews on April 20, 2026, in Paris have been sent to Mr. Elon Musk and Ms. Linda Yaccarino, in their capacity as de facto and de jure managers of the X platform at the time of the events.”

Yaccarino stepped down as chief executive of X in July last year, after serving two years in the role.

Paris cybercrime prosecutors first requested a police investigation in July 2025, following complaints filed in January 2025. The probe is examining suspected offences, including the manipulation and extraction of data from automated systems, “as part of a criminal gang.”

One complaint was submitted by Eric Bothorel, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party. He alleged a “reduced diversity of voices and options” on the platform, as well as “personal interventions” by Musk in X’s management since his acquisition of the company in 2022.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the investigation was later expanded after further reports raised concerns about the role of the AI chatbot Grok in spreading Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfake material on X.

In response to the probe, X’s France director, Laurent Buanec, rejected the accusations in January 2025, stating that the platform had “strict, clear and public rules” designed to protect users from hate speech and disinformation.

The US government also sharply criticised the investigation in July, saying it would defend Americans’ free speech rights against what it described as “acts of foreign censorship.”

X has denied the allegations and in July labelled the inquiry “politically motivated.”

Separately, in late January, the European Union launched its own investigation into X over Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images of women and minors.

That EU action came despite repeated warnings from the US administration of President Donald Trump, which has threatened retaliation against the enforcement of European technology regulations it argues restrict free speech and unfairly target American companies.

By Tamilla Hasanova