Elon Musk has been summoned to a voluntary interview by French authorities on Monday as they continue to probe his platform X, but whether the tech billionaire will turn up remains to be seen. The company's offices were raided by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit in February over suspected criminal offenses related to content on the platform. First opened in 2025, the investigation was expanded to encompass concerns raised over whether X's controversial chatbot Grok was used to create non-consensual sexual deepfake imagery.
When asked for comment, X pointed the BBC to a previous post by Musk in which he labeled the probe a 'political attack.' It comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the US Justice Department told French authorities in a letter it would not assist in their investigation of X.
The Department also accused French authorities of misusing the US justice system, the Journal reported. Musk, however, responded to a post about the report on X, writing 'indeed, this needs to stop.' If the tech billionaire does not attend the interview in Paris on Monday - a date set by prosecutors in February - it would not be the first time he has snubbed authorities.
The original investigation into X began in January 2025 following reports that raised concerns about its recommended content. The inquiry subsequently widened over concerns related to content generated by Grok, including its ability to edit images of women and minors shared on X to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes.
Paris prosecutors are investigating X over a range of suspected offences, including complicity in possession or organized distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), infringement of people's image rights with sexual deepfakes, and suspected fraudulent data extraction by an organized group. X has previously denied any wrongdoing and described the allegations as 'baseless.'
Linda Yaccarino, X's former chief executive, has also been summoned to the Paris interview alongside Musk, having been in her role during the time prosecutors claim the suspected offenses occurred. She previously accused French prosecutors of orchestrating a 'political vendetta against Americans' in a post on X.
When asked for comment, X pointed the BBC to a previous post by Musk in which he labeled the probe a 'political attack.' It comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the US Justice Department told French authorities in a letter it would not assist in their investigation of X.
The Department also accused French authorities of misusing the US justice system, the Journal reported. Musk, however, responded to a post about the report on X, writing 'indeed, this needs to stop.' If the tech billionaire does not attend the interview in Paris on Monday - a date set by prosecutors in February - it would not be the first time he has snubbed authorities.
The original investigation into X began in January 2025 following reports that raised concerns about its recommended content. The inquiry subsequently widened over concerns related to content generated by Grok, including its ability to edit images of women and minors shared on X to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes.
Paris prosecutors are investigating X over a range of suspected offences, including complicity in possession or organized distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), infringement of people's image rights with sexual deepfakes, and suspected fraudulent data extraction by an organized group. X has previously denied any wrongdoing and described the allegations as 'baseless.'
Linda Yaccarino, X's former chief executive, has also been summoned to the Paris interview alongside Musk, having been in her role during the time prosecutors claim the suspected offenses occurred. She previously accused French prosecutors of orchestrating a 'political vendetta against Americans' in a post on X.
