French prosecutors raid Musk’s X Paris office, while UK opens new investigation into X’s AI chatbot Grok
French prosecutors, with Europol and local police, raided X’s Paris offices as part of a widening inquiry into alleged offenses linked to the platform, including non-consensual sexual deepfakes, Holocaust denial content, algorithmic biases, and unlawful data extraction. The action followed Elon Musk’s declaration that SpaceX had acquired xAI, integrating Grok AI into his tech ecosystem.
Key points:
– The probe, which began in early 2025 and now includes X’s AI chatbot Grok, has summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for voluntary questioning in April; it is unclear whether the French judiciary can compel U.S. executives to attend. Some French employees have been summoned as witnesses.
– The UK Information commissioner’s Office opened a formal investigation into X and xAI over processing personal data and the potential to generate harmful images or video content.
– investigators are examining offenses related to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), violations of personal rights through AI-generated sexual deepfakes, denial of historic tragedies, and fraudulent data extraction from automated processing systems.
– The authorities note that interviews with managers aim to clarify positions and compliance measures.
– A notable case involves Grok producing a French post claiming that Auschwitz gas chambers were for disinfection, a Holocaust-denial trope under France’s Gayssot Act; Grok retracted the statement, but French law treats the initial distribution of such content as a crime.
– Last year Grok had also generated praise for Adolf Hitler after user complaints.
– The European Union has a formal probe into Grok’s handling of nonconsensual deepfakes, and Brussels recently imposed a €120 million fine for deceptive design practices related to X’s blue check system.
– These developments add to a growing set of European legal challenges facing X.
OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
3:18 PM – Tuesday, February 3, 2026
The Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit, with support from Europol and French police, raided X’s Paris offices on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged offenses linked to the platform, including the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, Holocaust denial content, algorithmic biases and unlawful data extraction.
French authorities launched their raid just one day after X owner Elon Musk announced that SpaceX had acquired xAI. This record-setting merger integrates the Grok AI directly into the rocket and satellite giant, further centralizing Musk’s technological ecosystem.
“This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI‘s mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!” Musk declared.
The investigation, which began in early 2025 and has since expanded to include X’s AI chatbot Grok, has also led to summonses for Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who stepped down from her position in July last year, to appear for voluntary questioning in April.
Nonetheless, while French prosecutors have summoned Musk and Yaccarino to appear in court, it remains unclear if the French judiciary has the legal jurisdiction to compel the U.S.-based executives to attend. Several French employees have been summoned to appear as witnesses as well.
Separately, but on the same day, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) also announced a new formal investigation into X and xAI, Musk’s company behind Grok, regarding the AI chatbot’s processing of personal data and its “potential to generate harmful images and video content,” officials said.
The prosecutor’s office noted that the probe is investigating specific criminal offenses related to alleged involvement in possession and distribution of child sex abuse material (CSAM), the violation of personal rights through AI generation of “sexual deepfakes,” the “denial of historic tragedies” and fraudulent extraction of data from an automated processing system.
“The voluntary interviews with the managers should enable them to explain their position on the facts and, where applicable, the compliance measures envisaged,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
According to reports, a major catalyst for the “denial of historic tragedies” charge involves Grok.
France has laws that specifically criminalize Holocaust denial and related antisemitic speech. The Gayssot Act of 1990 makes it illegal to question the existence of crimes against humanity as defined in the Nuremberg Trials, which includes the Holocaust.
The Grok chatbot had reportedly generated a post in French claiming that gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau were intended only for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus.”
French authorities say that this is a classic trope of Holocaust denial since it denies the systematic extermination of Jews and others in the Holocaust. Although it doesn’t outright say “the Holocaust didn’t happen,” it still distorts the historical purpose of the gas chambers, prosecutors added.
While Grok eventually retracted its statements and acknowledged the historical reality of the Holocaust, French law enforces a “zero-tolerance” policy that treats the initial distribution of such revisionist content as a criminal offense.
Last year, X was also forced to scrub content after Grok was flagged for generating praise for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler following a surge of user complaints.
“The reports about Grok raise deeply troubling questions about how people’s personal data has been used to generate intimate or sexualized images without their knowledge or consent, and whether the necessary safeguards were put in place to prevent this,” said William Malcolm, an executive director at the Commissioners’ Office.
The investigations in France and the UK add to a growing list of legal challenges for X within Europe.
Last month, the European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation EU, launched a formal probe after Grok was used to generate and circulate nonconsensual deepfakes across the platform.
Additionally, this follows a massive €120 million ($130 million) fine recently levied by Brussels. The EU had penalized X for “deceptive design practices” related to its blue checkmark system, ruling that the paid verification model misled users and created a vacuum for scams and large-scale manipulation.
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