France summons Elon Musk for voluntary interview as cybercrime authorities investigate X over political interference and algorithm misuse
French authorities have summoned billionaire Elon Musk to a voluntary interview as cybercrime investigators searched the Paris offices of his social media platform X on Tuesday, the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed.
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The operation, conducted with support from EU police agency Europol, is part of an investigation opened in January 2025 into allegations that X’s algorithm may have been used to interfere in French politics.
“Summons for voluntary interviews on April 20, 2026, in Paris have been sent to Mr Elon Musk and Ms Linda Yaccarino, in their capacity as de facto and de jure managers of the X platform at the time of the events,” the prosecutors said. Yaccarino resigned as X CEO in July 2025 after two years in charge.
The investigation followed complaints received in January 2025, including one from French MP Eric Bothorel, who raised concerns over reduced diversity of opinions on X and alleged personal interventions by Musk since acquiring the platform in 2022.
Authorities later expanded the probe to examine X’s AI chatbot Grok, which critics accused of disseminating Holocaust denials and sexual deepfake content, including images of minors.
Laurent Buanec, France director of X, criticised the investigation in January 2025, asserting that the platform had “strict, clear and public rules” to prevent hate speech and disinformation.
The company has repeatedly described the probe as politically motivated.
The case coincides with an EU investigation into Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images, despite US government warnings that enforcement actions against American tech firms could violate free speech protections.
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French cybercrime authorities are expected to question Musk and his former CEO directly, as the investigation continues into the platform’s operations and its potential impact on politics and public discourse in France.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
