Paris has issued a summons for Elon Musk to attend a voluntary interview on Monday as part of a French judicial probe into his social media platform X. The summons, delivered in February, relates to an investigation opened in January 2025 into allegations that X’s algorithm was used to interfere in French politics. Prosecutors have since broadened the inquiry to examine the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, and its dissemination of Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes.
In early February, French authorities conducted raids on X’s Paris offices, a move the company described as “politicized” and an “abusive judicial act.” At the same time, prosecutors summoned Musk and then-CEO Linda Yaccarino, referring to them as the “de facto and de jure managers of the X platform at the time of the events.” Musk denounced the action as a “political attack.” Yaccarino resigned from her role in July 2024 after two years leading the company.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced in February that X employees would also be called to testify between April 20 and 24. However, the Paris prosecutor’s office clarified that the absence of those invited for voluntary questioning would not impede the continuation of the investigation. Officials have not disclosed the location or timing of Musk’s scheduled interview.
The French investigation focuses on several suspected criminal offenses, including complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity. X has maintained that the probe is “politically motivated.”
The case is part of a wider international backlash against Grok. A nonprofit watchdog, the Center for Counterbing Digital Hate, reported in late January that the chatbot generated an estimated three million sexualised images—mostly of women and 23,000 depicting children—within 11 days. In February, Britain’s data regulator launched investigations into X and Musk’s AI firm xAI over “serious concerns” about compliance with personal data laws in relation to Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfakes. The European Union has also opened a probe into X over the same issue.
The outcome of the French summons could have significant implications for X’s operations in Europe and its global reputation amid mounting regulatory scrutiny.
