Paris prosecutors raided the French offices of X on Monday, escalating a criminal investigation into illegal content on Elon Musk's platform. The probe centers on sexual deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, and hate speech including Holocaust denial.
Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned to appear at hearings in April. The investigation, led by Paris's cybercrime unit with Europol support, follows complaints about X's Grok AI generating sexualized images of public figures and children, even after Musk announced restrictions on January 21.
The raid represents a new phase of European regulatory pressure on X. France joins the UK, which opened a second probe into Grok's image generation capabilities last week. The European Commission has four active investigations into X's compliance with the Digital Services Act.
What this means in practice
European authorities are testing whether criminal investigations can succeed where regulatory enforcement has stalled. Unlike DSA fines, which are capped at 6% of global revenue, criminal proceedings could result in service restrictions or personal liability for executives.
The timing is notable: prosecutors acted just two weeks after Musk's announced Grok restrictions, suggesting authorities view platform policy changes as insufficient. Reuters reported that Grok continues producing sexualized images when prompts avoid direct celebrity names.
X faces simultaneous regulatory and criminal exposure across multiple European jurisdictions. The company hasn't publicly addressed the raid. France's aggressive stance, backed by Europol coordination, signals a template other EU member states may follow.
Three things to watch
- Whether criminal charges materialize against X executives, testing personal liability theories
- How other EU countries coordinate similar enforcement actions
- Whether the investigation expands beyond Grok to X's content moderation systems generally
The French approach bypasses the lengthy DSA process in favor of direct criminal enforcement. For platforms operating in Europe, this represents a shift from fines as a cost of business to potential operational restrictions.