Elon Musk did not attend a voluntary interview with Paris prosecutors on Monday, as part of an ongoing investigation into his social media platform X and its AI chatbot Grok. The probe, launched in January 2025, initially focused on allegations that X's algorithm interfered in French politics and was later expanded to include the dissemination of Holocaust denial and sexual deepfakes generated by Grok. Prosecutors confirmed they had "taken note of the absence of the first people summoned" but declined to name Musk directly. The investigation also covers suspected complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity.
In February, Paris authorities searched X's offices, a move the company condemned as "politicised" and "abusive." At the same time, prosecutors summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for questioning as "de facto and de jure managers" of X during the relevant period. Yaccarino stepped down in July last year. Musk dismissed the summons as a "political attack" and previously referred to French authorities as "retards" in a post on X.
The probe is part of wider international scrutiny. In January, the European Union opened an investigation into Grok over sexualised deepfake images of women and minors. Britain's data regulator launched a similar inquiry in February over concerns about compliance with personal data laws. According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Grok produced an estimated three million sexualised images in 11 days, including 23,000 that appeared to depict children. Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, facing his own French investigation, accused President Emmanuel Macron's government of weaponising judicial actions to suppress free speech.
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