French police raid X workplaces as they examine Elon Musk’s social media platform and AI chatbot Grok | CBC Information – Worldwide Dispatch

French prosecutors raided the Paris workplaces of social media platform X on Tuesday as a part of a preliminary investigation into allegations that embody spreading youngster sexual abuse photos and deepfakes. They’ve additionally summoned billionaire proprietor Elon Musk for questioning.

X and Musk’s synthetic intelligence firm xAI are additionally beneath scrutiny from Britain’s information privateness regulator, which kicked off formal investigations into how the businesses dealt with private information after they developed and deployed Musk’s synthetic intelligence chatbot Grok.

Grok sparked world outrage final month after it pumped out a torrent of sexualized nonconsensual deepfake photos in response to requests from X customers. Deepfakes are manipulations based mostly on superior AI, the place photos, audio or video are both digitally altered or absolutely generated by AI.

WATCH | French police raid X:

Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit searches X’s workplace in France

French police on Tuesday raided the workplaces of Elon Musk’s social media community X and prosecutors have ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in April associated to a widening investigation into the platform, together with alleged ‘complicity’ of possessing and spreading youngster sexual abuse photos and deepfakes.

What’s Grok?

Grok was constructed by xAI and is out there on X, the place it encourages customers to “ask something.” Customers continuously ask Grok to confirm movies, photos and knowledge in X posts, and to clarify or elaborate on topics.

Grok’s web site describes the software as “a free AI assistant designed by xAI to maximise fact and objectivity.” Critics have mentioned it’s programmed to mirror Musk’s views. Musk has overtly talked about “fixing” Grok after it gave solutions he did not like.

Grok will also be used to create or edit photos utilizing prompts within the search bar out there on X, which led to the deepfake controversy. Reuters has discovered the chatbot continues to generate sexualized ​photos of individuals even when customers explicitly warn that the topics don’t consent.

On Monday, SpaceX, Musk’s area exploration and rocket enterprise, introduced that it had acquired xAI in a deal that will even mix Grok, X and his satellite tv for pc communication firm Starlink.

Why are French police investigating?

The French investigation was opened in January final yr by the prosecutors’ cybercrime unit, the Paris prosecutors’ workplace mentioned in a press release. Authorities opened the investigation after reviews from a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on X possible distorted the functioning of an automatic information processing system.

It expanded its investigation after Grok generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust — a criminal offense in France — and unfold sexually express deepfakes, the assertion mentioned.

It is now trying into alleged “complicity” in possessing and spreading pornographic photos of minors, sexually express deepfakes, denial of crimes towards humanity and manipulation of an automatic information processing system as a part of an organized group, amongst different expenses.

Prosecutors requested Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to attend “voluntary interviews” on April 20. Staff of X have been summoned that very same week to be heard as witnesses, the assertion mentioned. Yaccarino was CEO from Might 2023 till July 2025.

In a message posted on X, the Paris prosecutors’ workplace introduced the continued searches on the firm’s workplaces in France and mentioned it was leaving the platform.

“At this stage, the conduct of the investigation is predicated on a constructive method, with the purpose of finally guaranteeing that the X platform complies with French legislation, because it operates on the nationwide territory,” the prosecutors’ assertion mentioned.

European Union police company Europol “is supporting the French authorities on this,” Europol spokesperson Jan Op Gen Oorth informed The Related Press, with out elaborating.

How have X, Musk responded?

The corporate defended itself in a press release on the social media platform.

“The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Workplace is plainly making an attempt to exert strain on X’s senior administration within the United States by concentrating on our French entity and workers, who  usually are not the main target of this investigation,” X mentioned in a press release.

“The Prosecutor’s Workplace has ⁠ignored the established procedural mechanisms to acquire proof in compliance with worldwide treaties and X’s rights to defend itself.”

Musk shared the assertion, including, “It is a political assault.”

WATCH | Stopping sharing of deepfakes on X would require laws, legislation prof. says:

Ought to Canada crack down on Elon Musk’s Grok AI?

Legislation professor Kristen Thomasen says stopping the sharing of non-consensual deepfakes on X will possible require authorities laws, warning it is a structural subject that customers have restricted means to resolve.

What different investigations is X going through?

Canada’s privateness commissioner Philippe Dufresne mentioned final month he’s increasing an investigation into X following reviews that Grok was getting used to create and share express photos of individuals with out their consent. 

Malaysia and Indonesia each briefly banned Grok final month, however each bans have since been lifted. Synthetic Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon mentioned final month that Canada will not be contemplating a ban on X — a remark that drew reward from Musk.

In Britain, the Data Commissioner’s Workplace mentioned it is trying into whether or not X and xAI adopted the legislation when processing private information and whether or not Grok had any measures in place to forestall its use to generate “dangerous manipulated photos.”

“The reviews about Grok increase deeply troubling questions on how individuals’s private information has been used to generate intimate or sexualised photos with out their data or consent, and whether or not the mandatory safeguards have been put in place to forestall this,” mentioned William Malcolm, an govt director on the watchdog.

A separate investigation into Grok launched final month by the U.Okay. media regulator, Ofcom, is ongoing.

The European Union’s govt arm opened an investigation final month over the nonconsensual sexualized deepfake photos.

The European Fee has already levied a high quality of €120 million ($194 million Cdn) towards X for shortcomings beneath the bloc’s sweeping digital rules, together with modifications to the corporate’s use of blue checkmarks to point verified accounts that broke the foundations on “misleading design practices” as a result of they risked exposing customers to scams and manipulation.