In brief
In a significant development, the Paris cyber-crime unit raided the French offices of X, founded by Elon Musk, as part of ongoing investigations into unlawful data extraction and potential complicity in child pornography. Concurrently, the UK’s Information Commissioner's Office has opened an investigation into Musk's AI tool, Grok, for allegedly generating harmful sexualized content. Both Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino are slated to appear at hearings in the coming months.
The French offices of Elon Musk's X have been raided by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit, as part of an investigation into suspected offences including unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography.
The prosecutor's office also said both Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had been summoned to appear at hearings in April.
In a separate development, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced a probe into Musk's AI tool, Grok, over its potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content. X has yet to respond to these investigations - the BBC has approached it for comment.
The French investigation, which commenced in January 2025, began by examining content recommended by X's algorithm, and subsequently expanded to investigate Grok.
French prosecutors are now assessing whether X has breached laws related to child pornography and other serious infractions, including the unauthorized distribution of sexual deepfakes.
Meanwhile, the UK's ICO's inquiries were spurred on by the disturbing reports concerning Grok's involvement in generating non-consensual intimate images, raising significant concerns about privacy and data protection.
As this story unfolds, X has claimed the French investigation is politically motivated, continuing to highlight its commitment to free speech amidst mounting scrutiny.
