Elon Musk skips French prosecutors' hearing over X child abuse probe as US refuses cooperation

Tech billionaire Elon Musk did not appear Monday at a mandatory summons for questioning in a French probe into X and its AI chatbot Grok, over alleged abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

"The prosecutor's office notes the absence of the first individuals who were summoned. Their presence or absence does not hinder the continuation of the investigation," the prosecutor's statement said, without mentioning Musk by name.

The investigation, which earlier this year led to raids at X's French office, has been expanded in recent months to include suspected complicity in the distribution of child pornography and the creation of sexual deepfakes by Grok.

While attendance at Monday's hearing was mandatory, authorities at this stage could not compel Musk, the world's richest person, to appear. If someone fails to respond to a summons, prosecutors may decide to place them in

police custody.

Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino and several other X staff were also summoned as witnesses for questioning.

US-France clash deepens

The case has added to strains in relations between the US and Europe over Big Tech and free speech.

Paris prosecutors on Saturday pushed back against a report the US Justice Department would not cooperate in their probe, which Washington reportedly views as politically motivated.

In a statement sent to Reuters, the prosecutor's office said it had no knowledge of a US Justice Department letter, cited by the Wall Street Journal, reportedly refusing cooperation in the French investigation. The Paris prosecutor's office said it had no knowledge of the letter cited in the WSJ report, adding that "the French constitution guarantees the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary."

The April 20 summons date was set in February, when the Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit raided the French office of Musk's social-media platform, X. According to the Journal, the Justice Department letter stated: "This investigation seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas and opinions in a manner contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Musk on Saturday shared the WSJ article on X, commenting: "Indeed, this needs to stop."

In July, Musk denied the initial accusations and said French prosecutors were launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation."

Cybernews has previously reported that authorities in France carried out raids on X offices in Paris as part of a widening criminal investigation into the platform's algorithms, data handling practices, and its AI chatbot Grok.

Prosecutors have said the investigation centres on allegations that X's algorithms distorted the treatment of content on the platform, that it improperly extracted user data and that it violated individuals' rights with sexually explicit deepfakes, after complaints from French lawmakers and advocacy groups.

X has come under scrutiny from regulators and governments in several countries since Musk's 2023 takeover of the platform with authorities examining issues including content moderation, data practices and compliance with local laws.

The French cybercrime unit leading the X investigation previously arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov in 2024 over charges including complicity in organised crime carried out on the messaging app, charges his lawyer has described as "absurd."

Durov posted on X early Monday morning that "France is losing legitimacy as it weaponizes criminal investigations to suppress free speech and privacy."

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