UK Regulators Open Investigation into X’s Grok Amid Nudify Scandal
British, Southeast Asian, and other regulators are moving against X and its owner Elon Musk over Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot, after it generated and publicly posted large volumes of sexualized images of real people, including women and children, without consent.
In the U.K., media regulator Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into whether X violated laws designed to prevent the spread of illegal content, including nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
Ofcom says it is examining whether the platform has failed in its legal duties to protect users in Britain.
“Platforms must protect people in the U.K. from content that’s illegal in the U.K., and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children,” the watchdog says in a statement.
Under British law, X could face fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of its global revenue. If the company is found in breach and refuses to comply with Ofcom’s requests, the regulator could seek court orders restricting payment providers and advertisers from working with X.
In extreme cases where a court finds “significant harm” to individuals, internet service providers could be required to block access to the platform in the U.K.
The investigation follows widespread criticism after Grok automatically generated sexualized images in response to user prompts. Users were able to tag Grok under images and request edits such as “put her in a bikini,” and in many cases, the bot complied, producing manipulated images of real people in sexualized contexts. Untold numbers of women and some children have had their likenesses sexualized without permission, including one of the mothers of Musk’s children.
In response to the furore, the platform announced that Grok’s image-generation tool would be limited to paying subscribers. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer describes the change as “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence, adding that it “simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.”
Meanwhile, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries to block Grok entirely. Both governments imposed temporary bans after concluding that the chatbot lacked sufficient safeguards to prevent nonconsensual pornographic content based on real individual
“The government sees nonconsensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the safety of citizens in the digital space,” says Indonesian Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid.
Other governments and regulators in Europe and beyond have also signaled reviews or investigations. Policy experts say the scale of government reaction is unusual for a social media platform but reflects the nature of the alleged violations.
“Making child sexual abuse [material] is flagrantly illegal, pretty much everywhere on Earth,” Riana Pfefferkorn of Stanford University tells NPR.
In the United States, political reaction has been more limited. Senator Ted Cruz says the images “should be taken down and guardrails should be put in place,” and adds he is “encouraged that X has announced that they’re taking these violations seriously and working to remove any unlawful images and offending users from their platform.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
