Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino Fail to Appear for French Criminal Investigation Hearing

Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino, the former chief executive of X, failed to appear for a voluntary hearing before French prosecutors in Paris on Monday, April 20, 2026, as part of a criminal investigation into alleged abuses on the social media platform. The Paris Prosecutor's Office confirmed through the AFP news agency that it "took note of the absence of the first persons summoned," without naming Musk directly. Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau had anticipated the no-show, stating in advance that the absence "does not constitute an obstacle to the continuation of the investigations." Musk and Yaccarino were summoned not as defendants but under the format of a free hearing, meaning prosecutors lacked the authority to compel their physical presence. Other X executives and employees were also summoned as witnesses during the same week, and none appeared, according to the Prosecutor's Office. The investigation covers alleged complicity in the distribution of child pornography, the creation of sexual deepfakes without victims' consent, and manipulation of X's algorithm to interfere in French political debate.

Investigation opened in January 2025, now spans AI chatbot Grok The French inquiry was opened in January 2025 following reports of potential violations of French legislation by the X platform, with the initial impetus coming from complaints by French lawmakers, including a deputy from the Renaissance party, Eric Bothorel, who alleged that X's algorithm had been altered to favor certain political content since Musk acquired the platform in 2022. Prosecutors also examined allegations of Holocaust denial content circulating on the platform. The investigation was subsequently expanded to include X's Grok AI chatbot after complaints emerged that it was being used to generate and disseminate sexually explicit content, including images of minors. In February 2026, the cybercrime unit of the Paris Prosecutor's Office, working alongside national police and Europol, raided X's Paris offices as part of the inquiry. X described that raid as "theatrical" and "politicized," while Musk wrote in French on the platform that French authorities were "mentally retarded." The Center for Countering Digital Hate, an NGO, reported at the end of January that approximately 3 million sexualized images had been generated on the platform in just 11 days, according to Deutsche Welle.

The Paris Prosecutor's Office has established itself as one of Europe's most active judicial bodies in pursuing major technology platforms. It has previously opened investigations into Telegram, the livestreaming platform Kick, TikTok, and the online retailer Shein. The current investigation into X is part of a broader European regulatory push against social media companies that accelerated following Musk's acquisition of the platform in 2022. Reporters Without Borders has also filed a separate complaint against X regarding what it described as the proliferation of disinformation content on the platform.

US Justice Department refuses to cooperate, citing First Amendment The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the US Department of Justice sent a letter to the Paris prosecutor stating it would not cooperate with the investigation, characterizing it as politically motivated and arguing that the French criminal system was being used to regulate an American public forum for free expression, in violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The Paris Prosecutor's Office said it had no knowledge of such a letter and recalled that the French constitution guarantees the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. According to El País, the DOJ letter stated that Musk "has no intention of collaborating with French justice." Musk reacted to the Journal's reporting by writing on X: "Indeed, this must stop." Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram and himself under investigation by French authorities, expressed solidarity with Musk, writing that "Macron's France loses legitimacy by instrumentalizing criminal investigations to suppress freedom of expression and private life." The Prosecutor's Office noted that documents from the French proceedings had been forwarded, in accordance with international criminal cooperation provisions, to the DOJ, the prosecutor's offices of California and New York, and various European prosecutor's offices.

„Takes note of the absence of the first persons summoned” — Laure Beccuau via AFP

„Macron's France loses legitimacy by instrumentalizing criminal investigations to suppress freedom of expression and private life” — Pavel Durov via La Vanguardia

Amsterdam court fines X over Grok undressing tool, EU adds 120 million euros The French investigation is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting legal pressure on X across Europe. In March 2026, a court in Amsterdam ruled that Grok may no longer offer its so-called "undressing" function in the Netherlands, under which users could generate images depicting people without clothing. The Dutch court imposed a fine of 100,000 euros per violation, with a maximum cap of 10 million euros. Separately, the European Commission imposed a fine of 120 million euros on X in December for violating a major European internet law, stating among other things that the blue checkmark displayed next to usernames on the platform was misleading to users. The European Parliament also agreed in March to a broader ban on undressing applications. The Paris Prosecutor's Office noted that judicial authorities in other European countries have opened parallel investigations into X on related grounds, and that the inquiry will proceed regardless of whether Musk or Yaccarino choose to engage.

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