French Police Raid X Offices in Paris as Cybercrime Investigation Closes in on Musk

French Authorities Raid X's Paris Offices

French law enforcement officers raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X on Tuesday, conducting searches as part of a sweeping cybercrime investigation that has been building for over a year. The operation was led by the Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit, with support from Europol and France's national police cybercrime division.

Origins of the Investigation

The probe traces back to January 2025, when French lawmaker Eric Bothorel, a centrist member of President Emmanuel Macron's party, filed a complaint alleging that X's algorithms were being weaponised for foreign interference purposes. A second complaint from a senior government cybersecurity official alleged the platform's algorithm had amplified hateful, racist, and anti-LGBTQ content to skew democratic debate. Bothorel warned of troubling changes to X's algorithm and apparent interference in its management since Musk's acquisition in 2022.

Expanding Scope and Serious Charges

What began as an algorithmic manipulation probe has grown considerably. In July 2025, prosecutors formally assigned the case to the national gendarmerie, focusing on organised tampering with automated data processing systems and fraudulent data extraction, offences carrying up to ten years in prison and three hundred thousand euros in fines. The investigation widened in November 2025 to include Holocaust denial content generated by X's Grok AI chatbot, and again in January 2026 to encompass sexually explicit deepfakes created using the tool.

Musk Summoned for Questioning

Paris prosecutors have summoned both Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to voluntary interviews scheduled for April 2026. Because the investigation involves organised crime allegations, French police have enhanced powers including wiretapping and surveillance capabilities. X has refused to hand over data related to its recommendation algorithm, calling the case politically motivated.

International Pressure Mounts

The raid comes amid a wave of international regulatory action against X. The European Commission fined the platform one hundred and twenty million euros in December 2025 for Digital Services Act violations and has launched a separate investigation into Grok's deepfake capabilities. The UK's Ofcom and Information Commissioner's Office have both opened formal investigations, while authorities in Australia, Canada, and several Asian nations have raised similar concerns. In a pointed gesture, the Paris prosecutor's office announced it was leaving X entirely, moving its communications to LinkedIn and Instagram.