UK watchdog investigates X over sexualized Grok images

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — The U.K.’s online safety regulator announced on Monday it has opened a formal investigation into X over concerns its Grok AI tool has been used to create illegal sexualized images.

Ofcom said it is investigating whether X complied with its duties under the Online Safety Act — a new set of laws that place legal duties on online platforms to protect users from illegal and harmful content.

If the company is found to have broken the law, it could face large fines or, in extreme cases, be blocked in the U.K.

The announcement comes as uproar over Grok’s image generator feature continues and Indonesia and Malaysia announced bans on the service over the weekend. The European Union, France, India and other nations have also opened investigations into the service.

Watchdog targets Grok

The online regulator said in a news release it has opened a formal investigation into X under the Online Safety Act, “to determine whether it has complied with its duties to protect people in the U.K. from content that is illegal in the U.K.”

Ofcom said it contacted X on Jan. 5 and set a deadline of last Friday for the company to explain how it was meeting its legal obligations.

The regulator said it is examining whether X failed to assess the risk of illegal content on its platform after making changes to its service, failed to prevent users from seeing “priority” illegal content such as nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material, and failed to swiftly remove illegal content once identified.

It is also investigating whether X took adequate steps to protect children, including by using effective age assurance to prevent minors from seeing pornography.

If a breach is found, Ofcom said it can impose fines of up to $24 million or 10% of worldwide revenue, whichever is higher.

In the most serious cases, it can ask a court to order internet service providers to block access to a platform in the U.K.

“Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning,” an Ofcom spokesperson said. “We won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.”

The government has said it would support Ofcom if it recommended blocking X in the U.K. if the company is found to have broken the law.

X owner Elon Musk has pushed back against criticism from British officials, accusing the government of censorship.

After ministers warned X could face sanctions, Musk responded to a post questioning why other AI platforms were not under investigation, saying the U.K. government wanted “any excuse for censorship.”

He later accused the government of being “fascist” and attempting to suppress free speech.

Law tackling deepfakes to come into force

The investigation follows mounting political pressure over Grok’s image-generation feature.

Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, addressed Parliament on Monday, describing the material circulating on X as criminal.

“In recent days the Grok AI tool on the social media platform X has been used to create and share degrading, nonconsensual, sexual, intimate deepfakes,” Kendall told lawmakers. “The content which has circulated on X is vile. It’s not just an affront to decent society. It is illegal.”

She said the Internet Watch Foundation had identified criminal images involving children as young as 11.

Kendall said X’s decision last week to limit Grok’s image-editing feature to paid subscribers “does not go anywhere near far enough.”

She added that a separate law passed last year made it a crime to create or request nonconsensual intimate images, and announced that measure would come into force this week and be treated as a priority under the Online Safety Act.

British lawmakers have been quitting X, most recently Liberal Democrat lawmaker Layla Moran, who said she was leaving the platform because she could not justify directing users to it.

“My time on X has come to an end,” Moran said on the platform. “I can’t sleep knowing that I’m leading traffic to a site that actively enables sexual exploitation of women and children.”

What the Online Safety Act does

The Online Safety Act became law in October 2023 and is being implemented in stages.

Services must show how they will identify and remove illegal material, including child sexual abuse content and nonconsensual intimate images, and how they will protect children from harmful material.

Ofcom is responsible for enforcing the law and has the power to issue fines, demand changes and seek court orders to block access to services in the U.K.

The law has drawn criticism from some technology companies and free speech advocates. The Trump administration and Musk have both complained publicly that such regulations amount to government overreach.

The European Union has come under similar criticism for its Digital Markets Act, meant to regulate competition, and Digital Services Act, which focuses on illegal content, advertising and disinformation.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

Follow @jayfranklinlive