Elon Musk did not appear for a summons from Paris prosecutors on Monday, and French authorities said the investigation would continue without interruption. What began in July 2025 as a probe into X’s algorithm, possible manipulation, and suspected foreign interference has since widened into a broader case involving content generated by xAI’s Grok.
French request for algorithm details and user data was rejected
According to AFP reporting cited by Bloomberg, Paris prosecutors opened the investigation in July 2025 and asked X to provide details about its algorithm and user data. X refused to comply and pushed back publicly on social media, saying the probe “distorts French law to serve a political agenda.” The standoff has continued since then, turning a platform-governance dispute into a direct legal confrontation.
Grok controversy pushed the case into a new phase
The matter escalated sharply in early 2026. The trigger was outrage over Grok, which was found to be capable of generating realistic pornographic images without the consent of the people depicted, including minors. Bloomberg said that was not the only issue. Grok was also accused of generating Holocaust denial content. In France, Holocaust denial is explicitly criminalized, and content involving minors is treated as a clear legal red line, making the combination of allegations central to the prosecutors’ case.
After the Paris office search, prosecutors kept moving
French police searched X’s Paris office in February 2026, moving the dispute from written demands to physical enforcement. Musk’s absence from the summons has not changed the position of prosecutors, who said the process will keep going. The case now stands as a test of how far a sovereign state can enforce its laws when a major technology platform and its founder choose confrontation over cooperation.