Factbox-Why are French prosecutors investigating Elon Musk's X?

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's summons for ‌questioning by prosecutors in ​Paris is ​linked to a widened investigation into alleged offences linked to X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction.

The probe is being led by the cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Reuters could ‌not reach Musk's representatives ahead of the summons. In July, Musk denied the initial accusations and ⁠said the investigation was "politically motivated."

Here is an overview of the investigations:

WHAT WAS X INITIALLY INVESTIGATED FOR?

Paris prosecutors opened an investigation on January 12, 2025 after receiving ‌two complaints, including one from a French ‌lawmaker, over allegedly biased algorithms.

The probe looked into charges of fraudulent data extraction and abuse of algorithms, and was then assigned to the police on July 9, 2025.

WHY DID FRENCH PROSECUTORS WIDEN THEIR PROBE?

After new evidence emerged in November 2025, investigators ​expanded the probe to include charges of complicity in possession and distribution of child-pornography images and denial of crimes against humanity.

In January 2026, following the publication of sexually explicit deepfakes generated by X's Grok, they added another charge related to ⁠the distribution of sexual material using a person's image without consent.

Prosecutors say X switched in 2025 from the SAFER child protection tool to an in-house system. Authorities reported an ​81.4% fall between June and October 2025 in reports sent by X to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to France.

Prosecutors also allege Grok enabled users to create ​sexualised images, including of minors and victims of the Crans-Montana fire, ‌and to generate hate speech or content glorifying crimes against humanity.

The prosecutors said experts they consulted maintain that safeguards could have prevented this.

Investigators also cite failures by the company to provide basic subscriber ⁠information in several hate-speech and antisemitism cases, hampering inquiries.

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?

The Paris prosecutor's office announced the summons date after police raided X's Paris office in collaboration with Europol in February. It said it was sharing information with prosecutors in other countries.

The Paris prosecutor has said Musk has ⁠been summoned for an "audition libre," which means the authorities want to question someone but without arresting that person. The questioned individual is free to ​leave and may remain silent, but what one says during the questioning is officially recorded and may carry legal consequences.

The investigation can continue without Musk's statements. Legal experts say it is preferable to justify one’s refusal to appear to ensure that it is not perceived as an obstacle ‌to the probe.

WHICH POTENTIAL CRIMES ARE INVESTIGATORS LOOKING INTO?

• Complicity in the possession of images of minors of a pornographic nature

• Complicity in the organised distribution, offering, or making available of images ‌of minors of a pornographic nature

• Infringement of a person's image (deepfakes of a sexual nature)

• Denial of crimes against humanity (Holocaust denial)

• Fraudulent extraction of ⁠data from an automated data processing system by ‌an organised group

• Falsification of the operation ​of an automated data processing system by an organised group

• Operation of an illegal online platform by an organised group

(Reporting by Dominique Patton, Gianluca Lo Nostro, Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Richard Lough, Mark Potter ‌and Tomasz Janowski)

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