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Paris: French police searched the premises of X in France on Tuesday as prosecutors issued a summons to the social media company's owner, Elon Musk, raising the stakes in a yearlong investigation into the platform that has heightened a wider trans-Atlantic dispute over how to regulate tech companies.
The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor's office is investigating X in relation to seven accusations, including complicity in distributing images of a child of pornographic nature, denial of crimes against humanity and fraudulent extraction of data, according to a statement Tuesday from the city's chief prosecutor, Laure Beccuau.
The investigation was opened after Éric Bothorel, a French centrist lawmaker, wrote to the prosecutors with concerns over X's algorithm, the digital process that organizes data on the platform. The case was expanded after further accusations that Grok, the platform's artificial intelligence chatbot, was spreading Holocaust denial claims and sexual deepfakes, Beccuau said in the statement.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After the investigation began last year, the company said in a public statement in July that it "categorically denies" accusations about its algorithm and use of data. It said the investigation was "politically-motivated" and a distortion of French law "in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech." The statement added that X would not cooperate with the French authorities' demands.
The search Tuesday marked an escalation in a broader dispute between European governments and American tech companies -- one that has revealed sharp trans-Atlantic differences over the definition of free speech and the question of whether and how to regulate social media platforms.
The issue has become particularly tense under the Trump administration, which has spoken and acted increasingly aggressively against Europeans it associates with the push to regulate American tech firms.
In recent years, the European Union has enacted sweeping regulations over the companies, whose platforms pervade modern communication, threatening them with fines unless they police their platforms for illicit content, misinformation and hate speech.
In December, the EU issued the first fine under its new Digital Services Act, penalizing X with 140 million dollars for violations. Last week, EU regulators announced an investigation into X over the spread of sexualized images generated by Grok.
Europeans see their actions as a democratic prerogative necessary to protect citizens from abuse. The Trump administration sees the fines as an unfair money grab from American companies and considers the regulations to be an attack on free speech.
Though there are very few restrictions on speech in the United States, in countries like France there are criminal penalties for hate speech, Holocaust denial and attacks on religion.
Bothorel praised the prosecutors' moves Tuesday, saying on social media: "In Europe, and particularly in France, the rule of law means that 'no one is above the law' and that European regulations, transposed into French law, apply to everyone."
The prosecutor's statement Tuesday said that people associated with X, including Musk and Linda Yaccarino, the company's former CEO, had been summoned to speak to French authorities.
"These interviews with executives will allow them to present their view on the facts and the compliance measures they plan to implement," Beccuau said in the statement.
"This investigation is being conducted in a constructive manner, with a focus on collaboration with the individuals and companies involved," Beccuau added. "The Paris public prosecutor's office's ultimate goal is to ensure that X complies with French law as it operates within the country."
The prosecutor's office also posted the statement on its official X account in a post that added that it would no longer publish content on the platform.