By Micah Jonah
February 4, 2026
French prosecutors have expanded an ongoing investigation into social media platform X, owned by billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk, over a range of alleged offences linked to its algorithms and artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
The probe, which began in January 2025, initially focused on complaints alleging abuse of algorithms and fraudulent extraction of data from automated systems. French authorities said the complaints included one filed by a lawmaker who raised concerns about biased content moderation and platform practices.
In November 2025, investigators said new evidence prompted a widening of the investigation. The scope was further expanded in January 2026 following concerns linked to content generated by Grok, X’s artificial intelligence chatbot.
Prosecutors allege that Grok may have enabled the creation and circulation of prohibited and harmful content, including sexually explicit deepfake images produced without consent, hate speech, and material denying crimes against humanity. Authorities also raised concerns over content involving minors and the platform’s safeguards against such abuses.
French prosecutors further claimed that X changed its child protection systems in 2025, replacing an external safety tool with an internal system that may not have provided adequate safeguards. They also accused the company of failing to provide key subscriber information in several hate speech and antisemitism cases, which they said hindered investigations.
As part of the investigation, French authorities carried out a search at X’s Paris office and said they were cooperating with law enforcement bodies in other countries.
The offences under review reportedly include complicity in the possession and distribution of prohibited images involving minors, unlawful use of a person’s image through sexualized deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity, fraudulent data extraction, manipulation of automated data systems, and the alleged operation of an illegal online platform.
X has not issued a public response to the latest developments as investigations continue.
