Microblogging platform X has removed 600 accounts and blocked around 3,500 objectionable posts after the Centre flagged the misuse of its AI chatbot Grok to generate obscene content, sources said on Sunday.
Elon Musk’s X is facing a global backlash over the “digital undressing” of images through user prompts on Grok. The platform has come under fire from governments across the world, including in Europe and Asia, warning it of consequences if it failed to adhere to online safety norms. Public calls for action on both X and Grok over the issue have also been growing.
The ministry of electronics and information technology had on January 2 issued a notice to X, directing it to immediately remove vulgar and unlawful content, especially generated by Grok, or face legal action.
According to government sources, X has blocked 3,500 obscene posts and deleted 600 accounts. The sources said the social media platform had assured the IT ministry that it would comply with Indian laws and would not allow obscene images.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who had raised this issue with the IT ministry, said: “I have always believed that India should leverage its position as the largest growing market for these platforms to toe the line with our laws and am glad that something I brought to the attention of the ministry was pushed through and accomplished.”
The government’s notice to X had followed Chaturvedi’s letter to IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in which she had raised serious concern about women’s safety and privacy in the digital world.
The government had pulled up X for its failure to observe statutory due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Apart from India, the UK and the EU have also mounted pressure on X over the Grok deepfake images. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer termed it “disgusting”, while the European Commission has reportedly asked X to retain all documents relating to Grok for a longer period.
Responding to social media outrage on the issue, Musk had on January 3 said: “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”