“French investigators have summoned X owner Elon Musk for a “voluntary interview” which they say could shed light on allegations that the platform was involved in the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse images and deepfake content.”

“According to the Wall Street Journal, France attempted to convince the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to cooperate in the probe – only to be rebutted over what the DOJ suspected was an attempt “to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.””

“According to reports at the time, the documents cited a “major modification in the algorithm used by the X platform,” resulting in a surge of “hateful, racist, anti-LGBTQ, or homophobic” content designed to “skew democratic debate in France”.”

“X denied any wrongdoing, describing the probe as an attack on free speech that distorted domestic law to “serve a political agenda.””

“The probe has since been expanded to include the following allegations: Complicity in the possession of pornographic images of minors; Complicity in the organized distribution of these images; Defamation of personal image through sexual deepfakes; Denial of crimes against humanity (Holocaust denial); Fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group; Falsification of the operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group; Operating an illegal online platform by an organized group.”