Paris prosecutors raid X offices in investigation of child abuse images and deepfakes

French prosecutors on Tuesday raided the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X in Paris as part of a preliminary investigation into a range of alleged offenses, authorities said. The action is connected to complaints that the platform facilitated the spread of child sexual abuse images and sexually explicit deepfakes.

The investigation was opened in January 2025 by the prosecutors’ cybercrime unit and is examining alleged “complicity” in the possession and dissemination of pornographic images of minors, the distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity, and the manipulation of automated data processing systems as part of an organized group.

Prosecutors have asked Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino, who led the company from May 2023 until July 2025, to attend “voluntary interviews” in Paris on April 20. Employees of X have also been summoned to appear that same week as witnesses, according to the prosecutors’ statement.

A spokesperson for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a message posted on the X platform, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced the ongoing searches and said it would be leaving the platform while encouraging followers to join the office on other social media services.

Europol is assisting French authorities in the probe, according to a spokesperson for the European Union police agency. Prosecutors said the investigation remains focused on ensuring that X complies with French law as it operates on national territory.

The probe expanded after complaints from a French lawmaker that biased algorithms on X could distort the functioning of automated data systems. It later included allegations related to X’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, which generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust and spread explicit deepfakes, actions that are illegal in France.