Elon Musk had a strong response to French law enforcement’s recent raid on X’s French office. The raid was part of an investigation connected to algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction allegations, which began last year. Authorities have since summoned the SpaceX founder to a public hearing scheduled for later this year.
Elon Musk addresses X office raid
On X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk labeled the Paris public prosecutor’s cybercrime unit’s recent raid a “political attack.” However, he did not elaborate on his statement.
Global Government Affairs recently criticized the Paris public prosecutor’s cybercrime unit’s office raid on X’s French branch. Meanwhile, they shared their disappointment with the raid on X. They said they weren’t surprised. The GGA labeled the raid “an abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives rather than advance legitimate law enforcement goals rooted in the fair and impartial administration of justice.”
They accused the public prosecutor’s office of trying to exert pressure on X’s senior management based in the United States by going after the French branch and its employees. Furthermore, the GGA accused the prosecutor’s office of ignoring “established procedural mechanisms” that comply with “international treaties and X’s rights to defend itself” to obtain evidence. They elaborated, “These procedural mechanisms are well known and used on a daily basis by judicial authorities around the world.”
The GGA said that the allegations that fueled the raid were “baseless” and that X denied them. They further stated, “Today’s staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech.”
The investigation leading to the recent raid began in January 2025. This was after the French politician and Renaissance Party member Éric Bothorel reportedly published a report. The report claimed that X was manipulating algorithms and automated data feeds.
The investigation initially focused on algorithm manipulation. However, it later widened its scope after complaints about X’s AI tool Grok emerged. The complaints accused Grok AI of several criminal offenses. These include the distribution and offering of or making available child pornography, violation of personal image rights (sexual deepfakes), and Holocaust denial. French authorities have summoned Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to a public hearing in Paris tied to the investigation, set to take place on April 20, 2026.
Originally written by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory.
