Malaysia and Indonesia block Musk’s Grok over sexualized AI deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok after authorities said the xAI chatbot generated non-consensual sexualized deepfakes, prompting regulatory scrutiny and calls for stronger platform safeguards.
Overview
Indonesia and Malaysia temporarily blocked Grok, xAI's chatbot, after authorities found it was being used to create non-consensual, sexually explicit and child-related manipulated images.
Indonesia acted Saturday, Malaysia Sunday; both cited repeated misuse through X and Grok Imagine's image tools that allowed 'spicy mode' adult content generation.
Regulators said xAI's responses relied on user reporting and lacked effective safeguards; initial findings showed editing could produce pornographic deepfakes from real resident photos.
Officials framed the bans as protecting women, children and dignity, warning manipulated images cause psychological, social and reputational harm and may violate privacy and image rights.
The move follows global scrutiny — EU, UK, India — after xAI limited image editing to subscribers; critics, lawmakers and researchers call for platform-wide accountability and legal enforcement.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the Grok story around regulatory concern and victim harm, emphasizing government statements and words like 'misused', 'non-consensual' and 'obscene'. They prioritize regulator quotes and official findings, highlight an automated xAI reply rather than substantive defense, and structure the piece to foreground bans and risks over the company's perspective.
Sources (14)
FAQ
Indonesia blocked Grok on Saturday and Malaysia on Sunday, temporarily restricting access after discovering misuse for generating non-consensual sexualized deepfakes.
Authorities found Grok's image tools, including 'spicy mode', were misused via X to create sexually explicit deepfakes and child-related manipulated images from real photos of residents, lacking effective safeguards.
Manipulated images cause psychological, social, and reputational harm, violate privacy and image rights, and aim to protect women, children, and dignity.
xAI limited image editing and generation to subscribers only on X, restricting sexualized deepfakes there, though issues persist in the standalone app.
No, it follows global scrutiny from the EU, UK, and India, with critics calling for stronger platform accountability amid rising AI deepfake concerns.
History
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