French police have searched the offices of Elon Musk's social media network X, and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in April related to a widening investigation into the platform, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
The raid is linked to a year-long investigation into suspected abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives.
However, in a statement the Paris Prosecutor's office said it was widening that investigation following complaints over the functioning of X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok.
The probe will now also investigate alleged complicity in disseminating Holocaust denials and sexual deepfakes.
Mr Musk, and former CEO Linda Yaccarino, are summoned to a hearing on 20 April. Other X staff are also summoned as witnesses.
In July, Mr Musk denied the initial accusations and said French prosecutors were launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation".
"At this stage, the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French laws, insofar as it operates on national territory," the prosecutor's office said.
The prosecutor's cybercrime unit is conducting the investigation together with the French police's own cybercrime unit and Europol.
The Paris prosecutor's office said it launched the investigation after being contacted by a French MP alleging that biased algorithms in X were likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system.
The prosecutor's office also said it was leaving the X social media platform and would communicate on LinkedIn and Instagram from now on. LinkedIn belongs to Microsoft and Instagram to Meta.
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'Disgraceful' that X won't attend committee - Kelly
Labour TD Alan Kelly said it is "disgraceful" that X has refused to attend tomorrow's media committee on the regulation of online platforms.
The committee's chairman said the controversy around the platform's AI tool Grok has been "shameful" and "shocking".
It comes after an investigation was launched into the platform's use of sexually explicit images, including potential child sexual abuse material.
"Meta have agreed to come in. Google have agreed to come in. TikTok have agreed to come in," he said.
He said X has refused to attend, despite the committee writing to it.
"They are refusing to come before the Irish people," he said.
Mr Kelly said he had asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin to contact X and asked for the correspondence to be shared with the committee.
"Tomorrow, I wanted to read out the letter, or email from the Taoiseach to show X, to basically embarrass them that the Taoiseach of Ireland has asked them to turn up at the committee," he said.
"But he has been unwilling to share that with me," he said.
"He has confirmed that his private secretary did write to them. I'd like to read out that correspondence tomorrow, in front of everybody, to tell X that this is unacceptable.
"We have to have assurances, not alone that this is not going to happen again, but also that they are going to obey the laws in this country. If they don't, we are going to change the laws."
Asked about Mr Kelly's claim that the Taoiseach's office has been unwilling to share the letter it sent to X, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said that Mr Martin was asked in the Dail to contact X about appearing at the Oireachtas Media Committee, and he agreed to do so.
"Following this, the Taoiseach's office wrote to X in support of the request," the spokesperson said.
"The Taoiseach has convened a number of meetings on this issue and Coimisiún na Meán is engaging with the European Commission, who have launched a formal investigation into X and Grok’s functions," they added.
Mr Kelly said: "we as a country have to deal with this issue if the EU don't deal with it fast enough".
The Labour TD stressed that X is still welcome to attend tomorrow's committee. However, he said he was "doubtful" that X would ever attend a future sitting of the media committee.
"They don't want to be held to account," he said. Mr Kelly said legislation has to be brought in to protect adults and children.
The chair said there has been some movement on the issue at a European level, however he does not believe this will be "quick enough".
"I have heard from so many different people who have been affected by this, particularly women. It is not acceptable. We are going to have to deal with it in an expeditious way."
Additional reporting Róisín Cullen
