Elon Musk. Foto REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
The investigation in France was launched in 2025 to determine whether Social Network X had violated national law. The investigation was later expanded after a series of incidents involving the platform’s built-in AI tools, including the chatbot Grok. According to the Associated Press, the system generated statements containing Holocaust denial, complimentary language toward Nazi ideology, and potentially user-generated content related to the sexual abuse of minors.
French investigators are said to be looking at Musk’s possible liability in the context of “complicity” in the distribution of illegal or malicious content, including sexually explicit dipfakes. Particular attention is being paid to the dissemination of disinformation in French, including distorted claims about Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
Since acquiring Twitter in 2022 and subsequently rebranding it to X, Musk has significantly changed the platform’s moderation policies, loosening a number of content controls and restoring access to previously blocked users. These steps have drawn criticism from some human rights organizations and regulators in various countries.
According to sources, the U.S. Department of Justice has notified the French side that it has no plans to assist in the investigation. The letter cited by the media indicated that the case may involve issues of freedom of expression and regulation of public space, which causes legal disagreements between jurisdictions.
At the time of publication, X representatives had not provided official comment on Musk’s possible trip to France and his participation in the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and its possible outcome remains open – from referral to trial to termination of the case at the preliminary investigation stage.
