Two countries become first to block X over Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok
Elon Musk’s Grok AI blocked in two countries after sexual image scandal
- Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot, Grok, due to its misuse in generating sexually explicit and non-consensual images.
- Regulators in both Southeast Asian nations cited the creation and spread of fake pornographic content, particularly involving women and minors, as the primary reason for the block.
- Indonesia's Communication and Digital Affairs Minister stated that non-consensual sexual deepfakes are a serious violation of human rights and safety in the digital space.
- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ordered a temporary restriction after 'repeated misuse' and deemed X Corp. and xAI's reliance on user reporting mechanisms insufficient.
- The restrictions follow mounting global scrutiny of Grok, despite the company recently limiting image generation and editing to paying users in response to a backlash over sexualised deepfakes.