Paris Prosecutor's Cybercrime Unit Raids X (Twitter) Office in Elon Musk Probe

French judicial police from the Paris prosecutor’s specialized cybercrime unit conducted a search operation at X’s (formerly Twitter) Paris office on February 3, 2026, according to multiple French media outlets (Le Monde, AFP, Le Figaro) citing judicial sources.The raid is part of an ongoing investigation opened in late 2025 into alleged criminal facilitation of illicit content — specifically related to X’s handling of hate speech, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), terrorist propaganda, and election interference under French and EU law.Key points from reports:Scope: Investigators seized documents, servers, and electronic devices. Several X France employees were questioned on-site. Legal basis: The probe falls under France’s 2014 anti-terrorism law (updated 2020–2024) and the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes strict content moderation obligations on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) like X. Trigger: Multiple complaints filed by NGOs, French authorities, and private citizens alleging X failed to promptly remove illegal content despite repeated notifications. High-profile cases cited include antisemitic posts, pro-terror propaganda, and non-consensual intimate images. X’s response: X issued a statement calling the raid “an attack on free speech” and “politically motivated.” The company said it is cooperating fully while defending its policies. This is not the first European legal action against X under Musk:Multiple DSA non-compliance probes by the European Commission (fines threatened up to 6% of global revenue). Ongoing lawsuits in France, Germany, and Ireland over content moderation speed and transparency. Musk’s public clashes with EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and French officials. The raid escalates the stakes significantly — physical searches of tech offices are rare and signal serious criminal suspicions rather than administrative fines.At digital8hub.com, we track tech regulation, free speech vs. content moderation, EU DSA enforcement, X platform news, and more. For context on how DSA fines work, comparisons with Meta/Google probes, or the impact on global platforms, explore our tech policy and business sections.The Paris raid is a stark reminder: even in 2026, “free speech absolutism” faces hard legal limits in Europe. The outcome could reshape how X operates — or force it out of major markets.