Elon Musk faces criminal probe in France after ignoring summons in X case

French cybercrime authorities escalated an investigation into Elon Musk and X to a criminal probe after Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino declined to appear for summons issued in April. The investigation covers multiple charges including complicity in possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images, spreading nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes, unlawfully collecting personal data, and denying crimes against humanity via X's AI system Grok. The investigation originated after a French lawmaker filed a complaint in 2025 alleging X's recommendation systems had been manipulated to narrow political discourse and enable foreign interference in French politics.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-05-08