Elon Musk gets surprising defender after X was banned in Brazil: The Washington Post
A raid on X’s Paris office was carried out by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime unit on Tuesday with Europol and French police as part of an ongoing investigation that expanded in July to include Grok. As previously reported by Reuters, Elon Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino were also summoned for hearings in April.
The investigation, which was initially launched last year, is looking into several allegations against X and Grok, including complicity in possession and distribution of child pornography and denial of crimes against humanity (related to Holocaust denial content), along with claims that X was manipulating its algorithm and illegally extracting data.
On Tuesday, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) also announced a separate formal investigation into X and xAI involving Grok and “its potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content.” It joins another ongoing investigation in the UK from Ofcom, which also shared an update on Tuesday stating that it is not currently investigating xAI, but is still “gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether X has broken the law.”
All of the investigations follow a flood of nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes generated by xAI’s Grok that have proliferated across X. The problem has persisted for weeks, despite claims by X that the feature has been restricted.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/modern-condo-buildings-with-huge-windows-in-montreal-canada.jpg?id=59896652&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-rent-neighbourhoods-2025" target="_blank">Montreal tenants</a> may be feeling the pinch a little more than most, even as <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/montreal-rent" target="_blank">rent prices</a> cool across the country.</p><p>According to Zumper's latest <em><a href="https://www.zumperrentals.com/blog/rental-price-data-canada/" target="_blank">Canadian Rent Report</a></em>, released on April 14, median rent prices fell across Canada for the sixth month in a row. One-bedroom units dropped by 0.8% to $1,835, and two-bedroom pads slipped 0.9% to $2,265. Year-over-year, those prices are down by nearly 3%.</p><p>But in Montreal, things aren't quite following the national trend.</p><p>The city ranked as the 12th most expensive rental market in the country last month, and while two-bedroom prices dipped slightly by 0.5% to $2,190, one-bedrooms actually saw a bump — rising 1.8% to a median of $1,720.</p><p>That makes Montreal one of just a few major cities in Canada where prices for smaller units are still trending upward, even as the national average continues to slide. For context, both Vancouver and Toronto saw rent prices drop again in March, with one-bedroom units in both cities now sitting below $2,600.</p><p><span></span>Meanwhile, the most dramatic rent decreases occurred in Quebec City, where averages for one- and two-bedrooms dropped by 5.7% and 5.8%, respectively, month-over-month. </p><p>Zumper's data is based on hundreds of thousands of active listings and gives a broad look at where the market is heading — and for Montrealers, the message seems clear: the squeeze is still on, especially for renters looking to downsize or live solo.</p><p>You can read the full report and national breakdown <a href="https://www.zumperrentals.com/blog/rental-price-data-canada/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><strong>Median one-bedroom rent (April 2025):</strong></p><ul> <li> Vancouver, BC – $2,500</li> <li> Burnaby, BC – $2,300</li> <li> Toronto, ON – $2,300</li> <li> Victoria, BC – $2,070</li> <li> Halifax, NS – $2,010</li> <li> Ottawa, ON – $1,980</li> <li> Barrie, ON – $1,850</li> <li> Kelowna, BC – $1,850</li> <li> Oshawa, ON – $1,820</li> <li> Kitchener, ON – $1,790</li> <li> Kingston, ON – $1,760</li> <li> Montreal, QC – $1,720</li> <li> Hamilton, ON – $1,700</li> <li> London, ON – $1,700</li> <li> Calgary, AB – $1,650</li> </ul><p><strong>Median two-bedroom rent (April 2025):</strong></p><ul> <li> Vancouver, BC – $3,450</li> <li> Burnaby, BC – $2,990</li> <li> Toronto, ON – $2,900</li> <li> Victoria, BC – $2,750</li> <li> Ottawa, ON – $2,480</li> <li> Halifax, NS – $2,450</li> <li> Kelowna, BC – $2,250</li> <li> Montreal, QC – $2,190</li> <li> Oshawa, ON – $2,130</li> <li> London, ON – $2,070</li> <li> Kitchener, ON – $2,100</li> <li> Calgary, AB – $1,990</li> <li> Hamilton, ON – $1,980</li> <li> St. Catharines, ON – $1,920</li> <li> Abbotsford, BC – $1,900</li></ul><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p>
<p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p><p><br/></p>
