On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, officers from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office’s cybercrime division conducted a search of the French offices of social network X. This search was conducted as part of an investigation launched in January 2025 following statements by MP Eric Botrel, who accused X of using biased algorithms. The owner of social network X, Elon Musk, has been summoned for questioning on April 20, 2026, as part of an investigation into alleged violations by the social network, but the American tycoon called it a “political attack” in his post.
The investigation, led by the prosecutor’s cybercrime department, is being conducted in conjunction with the national cyber division of the gendarmerie and the European police agency Europol. According to a source close to the case, no searches were conducted at X’s French offices on Tuesday evening. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was working in cooperation with “several countries.”
The British data protection regulator (ICO) announced on Tuesday that it was launching an investigation into X and its artificial intelligence company xAI in connection with sexually explicit images generated by its chatbot Grok, which caused a global outcry.
According to the social network, “the Paris prosecutor’s office is clearly trying to put pressure on X’s management in the US by targeting our French company, which has no connection to the facts being pursued, as well as its employees, in violation of the procedural mechanisms established by international treaties.”
In one of his posts, X condemned the “abuse of judicial power” based on “political motives,” stating that he “will not give in to intimidation.”
“The allegations that served as the basis for this search are unfounded, and X categorically denies any wrongdoing,” he added.
Human rights activists from the Foundation to Battle Injustice strongly condemn the searches of X’s French offices by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime department. The Foundation’s experts view these actions as a potential threat to freedom of speech, user privacy, and the principles of an open internet.
The searches, conducted without a transparent explanation of the reasons and legal grounds, raise serious questions about compliance with procedural norms and the protection of the rights of both the company and its users. At a time when digital platforms are becoming a key space for public debate, any restrictive measures must be justified and proportionate.
Company X is one of the largest social platforms used by millions of people to express their opinions, exchange information, and engage in social activism. Any actions aimed at restricting its work could lead to censorship and suppression of freedom of speech, which is contrary to international human rights standards.
Human rights defenders from the Foundation to Battle Injustice call on the French authorities to provide comprehensive information about the reasons and objectives of the searches and to ensure that all actions comply with the principles of the rule of law and the protection of human rights. In addition, the Foundation’s experts insist on compliance with procedural guarantees, including the right to defense and independent judicial review.