UK Regulator Launches Probe Over Elon Musk's X for Allowing Child Sexual Abuse Material
Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X over its AI chatbot Grok's image creation feature that has been used to produce and share deeply disturbing sexualised deepfakes. The tool allows users to create intimate images of women and children using simple text prompts, sparking outrage globally.
Ofcom described the reports as "deeply concerning", stating that the undressed images of people could amount to intimate image abuse or pornography, while sexualised images of children may constitute child sexual abuse material. The regulator said it had contacted X on January 5, asking the platform to explain its steps to protect UK users.
X's response was not made public, but Ofcom will determine whether the platform "failed to comply with its legal obligations". Under Britain's Online Safety Act, websites and social media platforms hosting potentially harmful content are required to implement strict age verification measures. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue.
The international backlash against Grok has intensified, with Indonesia becoming the first country to deny all access to the tool, followed by Malaysia. The European Commission is also reviewing complaints about Grok. UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall welcomed the probe, stating that it was vital for Ofcom to complete the investigation swiftly as victims would not accept any delay.
The controversy surrounding Grok has led to criticism of its monetisation policy, which appeared to limit the creation of non-consensual content to paying subscribers. However, this move has been condemned by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "not a solution" and an affront to victims.
Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X over its AI chatbot Grok's image creation feature that has been used to produce and share deeply disturbing sexualised deepfakes. The tool allows users to create intimate images of women and children using simple text prompts, sparking outrage globally.
Ofcom described the reports as "deeply concerning", stating that the undressed images of people could amount to intimate image abuse or pornography, while sexualised images of children may constitute child sexual abuse material. The regulator said it had contacted X on January 5, asking the platform to explain its steps to protect UK users.
X's response was not made public, but Ofcom will determine whether the platform "failed to comply with its legal obligations". Under Britain's Online Safety Act, websites and social media platforms hosting potentially harmful content are required to implement strict age verification measures. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue.
The international backlash against Grok has intensified, with Indonesia becoming the first country to deny all access to the tool, followed by Malaysia. The European Commission is also reviewing complaints about Grok. UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall welcomed the probe, stating that it was vital for Ofcom to complete the investigation swiftly as victims would not accept any delay.
The controversy surrounding Grok has led to criticism of its monetisation policy, which appeared to limit the creation of non-consensual content to paying subscribers. However, this move has been condemned by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "not a solution" and an affront to victims.
just heard about x's AI chatbot grok creating child sexual abuse material... what a nightmare 
️ platforms gotta take responsibility for keeping users safe, especially kids 
can't let monetization win over decency 
is it even possible for tech giants like Elon Musk's X to get away with this kinda stuff?? i mean, i know they say they're working on better moderation tools but it seems like its all just a bunch of hot air 
. and what really gets my blood boiling is that the platform has basically given permission to creators to spread this sick content 
and now victims are being blamed for not reporting it fast enough?! that's just not right 
. ofcom needs to step up their game and make sure X is held accountable for its actions, period 
. and now we're hearing that they're not even doing enough to stop it from spreading outta control 
. like what kind of monetisation policy is that supposed to be? 'hey pay us and we won't let you create some bad stuff' 
. that's not a solution, that's just enabling. and now we've got all these countries shutting down the app because it's just not worth the risk 
. gotta keep our kids safe online, no excuses 
... I mean, how can you even create deepfakes of kids with just a few words? That's like, totally not okay right? 
But at the same time, I feel bad for Elon Musk and X, because I know they're trying to make some crazy AI tech that'll change the world... or something 
. And on the other hand, shouldn't these platforms be more in control of what's being shared on their sites? Like, come on, can't we just have a better way to regulate this stuff? 
I'm all for protecting kids online, but can't we also protect freedom of speech at the same time? 
And seriously, why did Ofcom wait so long to launch an investigation? Shouldn't they've done something sooner? 
... and now it's like a big international mess... Malaysia is denying access to Grok, Indonesia too, what's going on?! 
meanwhile x hasnt been super transparent about what they're doing to fix the problem which is a major red flag 
and it got me thinking... have you ever tried making deep-fries at home? like, i used to do that all the time when i was a kid and my mom would always freak out because we'd burn the oil 
. anyway, back to this Grok thing... what's with the emphasis on age verification? can't we just use, like, facial recognition or something? 
.
. This isn't freedom of expression; it's abuse and exploitation. And yeah, I can see why Ofcom has to step in here... those age verification measures are super important for protecting minors.
... maybe we need more like them to hold these companies accountable 
.