In a significant move, the social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has declared a stringent crackdown on illegal content, specifically targeting material generated by its own artificial intelligence service, Grok. The announcement came on Sunday, following a formal directive from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
X's Firm Stance Against AI Misuse
The platform's Global Government Affairs team issued a clear statement, aligning with Musk's personal comments on the matter. Anyone using or prompting Grok to create illegal content will face the exact same consequences as those who upload such material directly. These consequences include the immediate removal of the content and the permanent suspension of the accounts responsible for its creation or dissemination.
X emphasized its ongoing efforts to combat illegal material, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by working closely with local governments and law enforcement agencies as required. The company also shared a link to its rules, which permit consensual adult content only if it is properly labeled and not prominently displayed.
Indian Government's Directive Spurs Action
This firm response from X comes directly after an order from MeitY issued on January 2. The Indian ministry directed the platform to immediately remove all "vulgar, obscene and unlawful content", particularly that generated by the Grok AI app. Failure to comply would result in legal action under Indian law.
The government order stated that it had received numerous complaints, including from public discourse and parliamentary stakeholders, about certain content on X violating Indian laws concerning decency and obscenity. MeitY gave the US-based firm 72 hours from the date of the order to submit a detailed action-taken report.
Root of the Controversy: Misuse of Grok AI
The issue gained prominence after Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking urgent intervention. She highlighted increasing incidents of the Grok AI app being misused to create and post vulgar images of women on social media.
The MeitY order specifically noted that the "Grok AI" service was being exploited to create fake accounts for generating, publishing, or sharing obscene and derogatory images or videos of women. This latest advisory followed a broader warning from MeitY on December 29, where all social media firms were asked to review their compliance frameworks and act against unlawful content or face prosecution.
The ministry had observed that platforms were not taking strict enough action against such inappropriate material. X's latest statement is its direct and public commitment to adhering to these Indian regulations and strengthening its content moderation policies, especially concerning its emerging AI tools.
