Digital Lockdown: French Authorities Raid X Offices as Musk Faces Criminal Summons Over AI Crimes

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In a dramatic escalation of the legal war between European regulators and Big Tech, the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit launched a high-profile raid on the French headquarters of X (formerly Twitter) early Tuesday morning. Simultaneously, the office confirmed that billionaire owner Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been formally summoned for “voluntary interviews” to address a widening criminal investigation.

The Raid and the Allegations

The operation, conducted with the strategic assistance of the EU police agency Europol and Interpol, marks the most aggressive move by a Western government against Musk’s platform to date. Investigators from the specialist cybercrime unit (J3) spent several hours inside the Paris offices, reportedly seizing digital data and internal communications.

According to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office, the investigation—which was technically opened in January 2025—has expanded significantly in scope. The probe is now examining “complicity” in several high-level offenses, including:

  • The dissemination of sexually explicit deepfakes and AI-generated pornographic images.
  • The spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and failure to provide adequate moderation.
  • Holocaust denial and crimes against humanity, which are strictly illegal under French law.
  • The manipulation of automated data processing systems, allegedly linked to X’s algorithmic bias.

Musk and Yaccarino Summoned

The prosecutor’s office has set a formal date of April 20, 2026, for Musk and Yaccarino to appear in Paris for questioning. The summons identifies them as “de facto and de jure managers” of the platform during the period the alleged offenses occurred.

While the interviews are currently categorized as “voluntary,” legal experts suggest that failure to comply could lead to the issuance of international arrest warrants, a possibility first hinted at in preliminary reports from theElitex and other European legal monitors last year.

The “Grok” Controversy

A significant portion of the investigation centers on Grok, X’s proprietary AI chatbot. Prosecutors allege that the AI has been used to generate content that violates French “hate speech” statutes. Specifically, a deleted post from the chatbot reportedly suggested that gas chambers at Auschwitz were for “disinfection,” a claim that triggered immediate legal flags in France.

“The investigation aims to ensure that no platform, regardless of its global reach, operates above the laws of the French Republic,” a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office stated.

MetricDetails
Investigation StartJanuary 2025
Summons DateApril 20, 2026
Entities InvolvedParis Cybercrime Unit, Europol, Interpol
Key AI LiabilityGrok Chatbot (Grok 4 and earlier versions)
Maximum PenaltyMillions in fines and potential custodial sentences for executives

The raid has sent shockwaves through the tech world, with X’s legal team reportedly labeling the probe “politically motivated.” However, the Paris prosecutor’s office has doubled down, even announcing it will stop using X as an official communication channel, urging the public to follow updates on more “compliant” social media platforms.

As the April hearing approaches, the global business community is watching closely. If Musk is forced to testify, it would represent a historic shift in how national governments hold individual tech titans accountable for algorithmic outputs.