The social network X has been fined 24,000 euros by the criminal court in Brussels. Investigations focus on suspicions of complicity in the possession of pornographic images or denial of crimes against humanity (negationism).
In a post, social network X denounced the “abusive legal action” as “politically motivated”, stating that it would not be intimidated. The network strongly denies committing any infractions.
According to the social network, the Paris prosecutor’s office is allegedly trying to pressure X’s management in the United States by targeting their French entity and employees, disregarding established international legal procedures.
The platform is under preliminary investigation following reports of bias in its algorithms in early 2025. The investigation expanded after more reports in mid-2025, revealing issues with the dissemination of denialist and sexually explicit deepfake content by Grok, Elon Musk’s chatbot.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that executives will have the opportunity to present their position on the facts during voluntary hearings and consider compliance measures. The investigation is described as a constructive process aimed at ensuring X’s compliance with French laws.
Employees of X have also been summoned to testify from Monday to Thursday. The investigations, led by the cybercrime unit of the prosecutor’s office in collaboration with national and international agencies, involve multiple countries.
Regarding complaints from French deputies, X is being accused of reducing diversity of voices and deviating from creating a safe and respectful environment for all, posing a threat to democracies. No criminal charges have been brought against the platform at this time.
X France’s CEO emphasized the platform’s strict rules against hate speech and the algorithm’s design to avoid recommending hateful content. On another issue, X is under scrutiny for a post by its AI Grok denying the criminal purpose of gas chambers, viewed nearly a million times in France.
Tensions rose in mid-March when the Paris prosecutor alerted US authorities about a possible artificial valuation of X and xIA companies by the world’s richest man, following the controversy around sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok.
Musk reacted by calling the critics “mentally retarded”.
