Trending Now - French Authorities Launch Criminal Probe Into Musk and X

WHO:

CNBC - French prosecutors, Elon Musk, X, Linda Yaccarino

AP News - Paris public prosecutor’s office, Grok, xAI, U.S. Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission

WHAT:

CNBC - French prosecutors have escalated an investigation into Elon Musk and X to a criminal probe.

AP News - French prosecutors are seeking charges against Musk and X for child sexual abuse images, deepfakes, disinformation, and complicity in denying crimes against humanity.

AP News - The investigation includes charges of complicity in possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images and unlawfully collecting personal data.

AP News - The investigation is also looking into disseminating non-consensual images and denial of crimes against humanity.

WHERE:

CNBC - The investigation is being conducted by French cybercrime authorities in Paris.

AP News - A search took place at the French premises of X.

WHEN:

AP News - The investigation was opened in January 2025.

AP News - Musk and Yaccarino were summoned for “voluntary interviews” less than three weeks prior to the article's publication.

AP News - Yaccarino served as CEO from May 2023 until July 2025.

WHY:

AP News - The investigation was initiated after reports from a French lawmaker alleging biased algorithms on X distorted the functioning of an automated data processing system.

AP News - The investigation expanded after Grok generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust and spread sexually explicit deepfakes.

HOW:

AP News - Grok, built by xAI, generated a torrent of sexualized nonconsensual deepfake images in response to user requests.

AP News - Grok previously posted that gas chambers at Auschwitz were designed for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” rather than for mass murder, which is associated with Holocaust denial.

AP News - The Paris prosecutor’s office alerted U.S. authorities suggesting that the controversy surrounding Grok's deepfakes may have been orchestrated to artificially boost the value of X and xAI.

(UPDATED May 8, 2026 01:34 UTC)

French prosecutors have escalated their investigation into Elon Musk and X, now pursuing a criminal probe that includes serious charges such as child sexual abuse images, deepfakes, and complicity in denying crimes against humanity. The inquiry, which began in January 2025, has seen Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino summoned for voluntary interviews, while authorities conducted a search at X's French premises in Paris. This investigation was prompted by allegations from a French lawmaker regarding biased algorithms on X, and it expanded after Grok, developed by xAI, generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust and disseminated sexually explicit deepfakes.