Elon Musk failed
Paris (dpa) — Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday failed to attend a hearing as part of an investigation into his X platform in France, the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed, according to French media reports.
“His presence or absence does not constitute an obstacle to the continuation of the investigation,” the public prosecutor’s office stated. Neither Musk nor former X chief Linda Yaccarino, who was also summoned, were obliged to attend the voluntary hearing.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has been investigating X for around a year over allegations that algorithms on the social network were altered to give more prominence to far-right content.
The investigation also concerns allegations of Holocaust denial and sexualized imagery of women and children created by the AI chatbot Grok. These so-called deepfakes are videos, images or audio files created using AI that appear deceptively real but are not.
Elon Musk failed
The company denies any wrongdoing and claims the investigation jeopardizes freedom of speech.
Musk insulted the French investigators, posting on X in French “Ce sont des attardés mentaux”, which translates as “They’re mentally retarded.”
Musk is known for his right-wing political views. He has long claimed that freedom of speech regarding such opinions is restricted in Europe.
After X’s French premises were searched in February, the Paris public prosecutor’s office explained the aim of the investigation was to ensure that the X platform operates in France in accordance with French law.
The summons of Musk and Yaccarino was intended to give them the opportunity to present their views and, where appropriate, the measures planned to ensure compliance with the regulations.
