French authorities have searched the Paris offices of social media platform X and summoned its owner, Elon Musk, for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged algorithmic interference in French politics.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for a “voluntary interview” on April 20, 2026. The operation involved EU police agency Europol.
The probe, opened in January 2025, is examining whether X’s algorithm was used to manipulate political discourse. Prosecutors stated the investigation was later expanded to include the role of X’s AI chatbot, Grok, in spreading Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes.
One complaint was filed by Eric Bothorel, an MP from President Emmanuel Macron’s party, who cited “reduced diversity of voices” and Musk’s “personal interventions” in platform management since his 2022 takeover.
In response, X’s France director, Laurent Buanec, previously stated the platform has “strict, clear and public rules” against hate speech and disinformation. X has called the investigation “politically motivated.”
The United States has also criticized the probe, vowing to defend free speech against what it calls “acts of foreign censorship.”
The move comes after the European Union recently launched a separate investigation into X over Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images. The U.S. has repeatedly opposed such EU tech regulations, arguing they curb free speech and unfairly target American companies.
