French cybercrime authorities carried out a search of the French offices of social media platform X on Tuesday, the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed. The operation, conducted with the support of EU police agency Europol, is part of an investigation into whether X’s algorithms were used to interfere in French politics.
The probe, which was opened in January 2025 following complaints about political bias on the platform, has since expanded to examine X’s AI chatbot, Grok, for allegedly spreading Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes.
French prosecutors have also summoned X owner Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for voluntary interviews in Paris on April 20, 2026. The summons notes their roles as de facto and de jure managers of the platform at the time of the alleged incidents. Yaccarino resigned as CEO in July 2025 after two years in the role.
One of the initial complaints was filed by Eric Bothorel, a member of parliament from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, who raised concerns about “reduced diversity of voices and options” on the platform and Musk’s personal interventions in its management.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office stated the investigation targets potential distortions in X’s automated data processing systems. Laurent Buanec, France director of X, defended the platform in January 2025, saying the company maintained “strict, clear and public rules” to protect against hate speech and disinformation.
Authorities are now scrutinizing both the platform’s political influence and its handling of illegal content, amid growing regulatory pressure on social media companies across Europe.