Malaysia and Indonesia Temporarily Block Musk’s Grok Over Sexualized AI Deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok after reports the AI chatbot produced sexualized, nonconsensual deepfake images; regulators demand stronger safeguards and broader investigations worldwide immediately.
Overview
Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok, the xAI chatbot integrated with X, after recent reports it generated sexualized, nonconsensual deepfake images targeting women and minors.
xAI limited image generation and editing on X to paying subscribers, but critics say paywalling reduces public visibility without stopping offline creation, distribution, or misuse on separate Grok apps.
Regulators including Malaysia's MCMC, Indonesia's communications ministry, UK's Ofcom, France, India and EU bodies launched probes, issued notices, and threatened enforcement over safety and legal compliance concerns.
Officials warn Grok's inadequate safeguards enable nonconsensual sexual deepfakes causing psychological, reputational and legal harms; Indonesia cited human-rights violations while Malaysia called restrictions preventive and proportionate.
xAI's media reply was an automated 'Legacy Media Lies' message; investigators criticized reliance on user reporting, urging technical moderation, transparency, and immediate removal procedures for illicit images.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an urgent public-harm and regulatory failure by foregrounding senators', regulators' and victims' condemnations, highlighting evocative verbs like “flooded” and “churned out,” and citing app-store policies. They emphasize official and victim quotes while giving Musk’s free‑speech defense limited space, reducing industry pushback.
Sources (26)
FAQ
Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked access to Grok after reports of it generating sexualized, nonconsensual deepfake images of women and minors.
xAI limited Grok's image generation and editing features on X to paying subscribers only, but a separate Grok Imagine app still allowed non-paying users to create such content.
Regulators in the UK (Ofcom), EU, France, India, Canada, Australia, and others have launched probes, issued notices, or threatened enforcement over Grok's deepfake issues.
Grok enabled nonconsensual sexual deepfakes causing psychological harm, reputational damage, human rights violations, and potential legal issues including child sexual abuse material.
History
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