X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has taken action against accounts and content flagged for obscenity after facing scrutiny from the Indian government over misuse of its AI tool, Grok. The platform has blocked 3,500 posts and deleted 600 accounts following concerns raised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) regarding obscene content, especially that generated through the misuse of AI.
The Indian government issued a strict notice to X after reports surfaced indicating that Grok was being used to generate explicit content, often targeting women. MeitY expressed deep concern over the creation of synthetic images and videos in a degrading manner, facilitated by manipulated AI prompts and fake accounts. The ministry warned that such practices normalize harassment and compromise legal protections. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also raised concerns about the misuse of AI tools on X, highlighting instances where women's photos were being manipulated and sexualized.
MeitY directed X to conduct a comprehensive review of Grok's technical and governance frameworks to prevent the generation of unlawful content. The ministry stressed the need for strict enforcement of user policies, including the suspension or termination of violating accounts. X was instructed to remove all offending content immediately without disturbing evidence. The government also sought a detailed action-taken report from X Corp within 72 hours, demanding immediate compliance to prevent the hosting, generation, publication, or transmission of obscene content through AI-based services like Grok.
The government's directive warned that failure to comply would be viewed seriously and could invite strict legal action against the platform and concerned officials under Indian laws. Non-compliance could lead to the loss of safe harbor protection under Section 79 of the IT Act and trigger penal action under several laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indecent Representation of Women Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
X has assured the government that it will not permit obscene material on its platform and will comply with all government regulations. Government sources indicate that X has "accepted its mistake" and will not allow obscene imagery. The platform has stated it will act in accordance with Indian law and has blocked around 3,500 pieces of content and over 600 accounts.
The issue of Grok's image manipulation has become a global concern, with regulators in Europe and elsewhere opening investigations. X has limited image-generating capabilities to paid users. The Indian government has asked X to explain the actions taken in response to the content generated by Grok, including steps against offending content and users. MeitY is also seeking legal opinion on potential action against X, potentially holding generative AI systems liable as content creators rather than neutral platform tools.
