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French authorities raid X offices over alleged political interference
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Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino summoned for voluntary interview in Paris
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Probe focuses on X algorithm, data manipulation, disinformation
French authorities have searched the Paris offices of social media platform X and summoned its owner, billionaire Elon Musk, for questioning over allegations that the platform’s algorithm was used to interfere in French politics.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that Musk has been invited for a “voluntary interview” scheduled for April 20, 2026, in Paris. Also summoned is Linda Yaccarino, former Chief Executive Officer of X, who resigned from the role in July 2025.
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According to prosecutors, the operation forms part of an investigation launched in January 2025 into suspected cybercrimes, including the manipulation and extraction of data from automated systems, allegedly carried out by an organised group. The raid was conducted with the support of the European Union police agency, Europol.
Authorities explained that the probe was initiated following two complaints filed in January 2025, one of which came from Eric Bothorel, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party. Bothorel accused X of reducing diversity of opinions on the platform and cited Musk’s personal involvement in content moderation since acquiring the company in 2022.
The investigation was later expanded after further reports accused X’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, of spreading Holocaust denial content and sexually explicit deepfake images.
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Reacting earlier, X’s France Director, Laurent Buanec, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the platform operates under “strict, clear and public rules” designed to combat hate speech and disinformation. The company has also described the investigation as politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the United States government has criticised the probe, warning against what it described as foreign censorship and pledging to defend free speech rights.
The European Union has also opened a separate investigation into X over Grok’s role in generating sexualised deepfake images, including those involving minors.