PARIS, May 7 - Paris' public prosecutor has moved the inquiry into Elon Musk's social media company X to a judicial phase, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The decision assigns investigating judges to lead the probe into alleged abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data.
The prosecutor's office has formally requested that investigating judges place the corporate entities X.AI Holdings Corp, X Corp and xAI, together with Elon Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, under formal investigation. The office said this legal step would be carried out by summoning those parties for the purpose of placing them under formal investigation. If any of those summoned failed to appear, judges could instead issue a warrant which would be equivalent to placing them under formal investigation.
The escalation follows Musk's failure to appear for questioning after being summoned on April 20. Representatives for Musk or X could not be immediately reached for comment. Kami Haeri, who is identified as a lawyer for X, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors have broadened the inquiry in recent months to encompass additional allegations, including suspected complicity in the distribution of child pornography and the alleged creation of sexual deepfakes linked to Grok. Those additions have come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Europe over the regulation of Big Tech and questions around free speech.
In July, Musk rejected the initial accusations and characterized the French prosecutors' action as a "politically motivated criminal investigation." The prosecutor's recent request to place companies and individuals under formal investigation hands responsibility for the case to investigating judges, marking a new procedural stage in the legal process.
Context limitations - The prosecutor's statement describes the legal steps requested and the possible use of summons or warrants to achieve formal investigation status. Details beyond the actions and allegations cited by the prosecutor are not provided in the statement.