France has stepped up its investigation into Elon Musk and his social media platform X after the tech billionaire failed to show up after being summoned for an interview, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Formal proceedings have now been opened against Musk, the platform and former X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The case has been formally handed over to investigating judges.
Neither Musk nor Yaccarino had been obliged to attend the voluntary interview to which they were summoned on April 20, and their absence does not hinder the continuation of the investigation, prosecutors said.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has been investigating X for around a year over allegations that its algorithms were manipulated to boost far-right content. The probe also covers suspected Holocaust denial and the dissemination of sexualized deepfake images of women and children created by the AI chatbot Grok.
X has rejected the accusations as “baseless” and denied any wrongdoing, saying the searches carried out by authorities threaten freedom of expression and that it will defend its rights and those of its users.
Musk has also lashed out at French investigators on the platform.
Musk has repeatedly argued that free speech is being curtailed in Europe.
Separate EU investigations and proceedings against X are under way under European digital regulations.
French authorities said earlier that the investigation aims to ensure that X operates in compliance with national law. The summons issued to Musk and Yaccarino was intended to give them an opportunity to present their position and outline any measures to meet regulatory requirements.k
