French prosecutors are investigating the social media platform over alleged deepfakes and Holocaust denial – which the tech mogul dismissed as a “political attack”.
French investigators have summoned X boss Elon Musk “Voluntary Interview” He says it could shed light on allegations that the platform was involved in the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse images and deepfake content.
French authorities have had a long-running feud with the US-based billionaire, deeming his social media platform a potential threat to democracy, while Musk says he is defending freedom of expression.
According to the Wall Street Journal, France attempted to persuade the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to cooperate with the investigation – but the DOJ suspected this was an attempt, but denied it. “To embroil the United States in politically charged criminal proceedings.”
This is what we know so far about the Musk-France controversy.
How did the fight between Musk and France start?
The investigation dates back to January 2025, when a formal complaint was filed against Ax by a French MP and a public official. According to reports at the time, the documents cited “Major modifications to the algorithms used by the X platform,” resulting in a surge “Hateful, racist, anti-LGBTQ, or homophobic” Content designed for “The Heterogeneous Democratic Debate in France”.
Around the same time, Musk was openly supporting European right-wing parties, including Alternative for Germany (AfD), Reform UK, and France’s National Rally.
A formal criminal investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and illegal data extraction was launched in July 2025 and handed over to the National Police.
X denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation an attack on free speech that distorted domestic law “Serve a political agenda.” The platform also complained that authorities have classified it as a “Organized Gang” and said he would not cooperate, adding that prosecutors were steering the investigation toward a predetermined outcome.
What has France accused X of?
The investigation has expanded to include the following allegations:
• Complicity in possessing obscene photographs of minors.
• Complicity in the organized distribution of these images.
• Defaming personal image through sexual deepfakes
• Denial of crimes against humanity (Holocaust denial)
• Fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group.
• Falsification of the operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group
• Operating illegal online platforms by an organized group
Has Grok and X produced controversial erotic material?
X found itself in hot water in late 2025 and early 2026 when the Grok AI assistant created an estimated 3 million sexually explicit images, thousands of which appeared to depict children. Grok’s ‘Spicy Mode’ allegedly sexually assaulted public figures like Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and former US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some users asked Grok to edit photos of women in erotic poses and revealing clothing, and others to add blood and bruises; The chatbot publicly posted these graphic images in response.
In response to the backlash, in January, X restricted Grok’s ability to edit photos of real people and show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal. According to NBC, however, Grok still continues to fulfill these requests in some cases.
holocaust controversy
In November 2025, Grok answered questions about common myths surrounding the Holocaust under a post by a convicted French Holocaust denier and neo-Nazi militant who wrote that the gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed by the Nazis. “Disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” Instead of mass murder – effectively denying well-established Nazi crimes.
Grok later hit back, calling his statement ‘false’ and blaming “An unusual error in the initial output.” Musk explained the incident by saying grok “Was very compliant with user prompts” And this issue was being dealt with.
Authorities in France – which has strict genocide-denial laws – expanded the investigation to include the incident.
‘Free speech is pure nonsense’
French President Emmanuel Macron has made no secret of his intention to impose more guardrails to regulate social media. In February, in one of his most brazen statements on the matter, he criticized social media platforms “No idea how their algorithm is built.”
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“The democratic consequences of this bias could be huge,” He said, adding: “Free speech is pure bullsh**t if no one knows how to direct you to this so-called free speech, especially when it is directed from one hate speech to another.”
He has also accused X “Dominance of far-right content,” Suggesting that the platform is no longer neutral due to the political affiliation of its owner.
Is Washington cooperating in the investigation against Musk and X?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ told French law enforcement officials that it would not facilitate their efforts to investigate X. The letter, seen by the outlet, argues that the investigation “seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate the public square for the free expression of ideas,” And the French request American assistance “Attempt to embroil the United States in politically charged criminal proceedings.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had no knowledge of the DOJ letter.
The Trump administration has long criticized the EU for its description “Digital Censorship” And “Regulatory suffocation” — including the bloc’s strict digital market guidelines, which the administration claims discriminates against US-based tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Meta.
