Govt Gives X Till Jan 7 to Act on AI Obscene Content
IT Ministry warns Elon Musk-led platform over misuse of Grok to generate vulgar and unlawful material.
- X gets more time to submit Action Taken Report
- Govt flags misuse of Grok AI to create obscene content
- Warning issued under IT Act and IT Rules, 2021
- Loss of safe harbour possible for non-compliance
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 6th Jan: The Centre has granted Elon Musk-owned social media platform X additional time until January 7 to submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) after issuing a stern warning over the misuse of its AI-based tool Grok to generate indecent and sexually explicit content.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had earlier directed X on January 2 to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, particularly that generated through Grok, and to submit a compliance report within 72 hours. Sources said the platform sought more time, following which the deadline has now been extended.
In its directive, the ministry said Grok is being misused by users to create fake accounts and manipulate images to generate and circulate derogatory and sexually explicit content targeting women. The government termed this a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.
The ministry warned that such acts violate provisions of the IT Act and IT Rules, 2021, especially those relating to the hosting and dissemination of obscene, indecent, pornographic and paedophilic content. It said the misuse of AI technologies undermines the dignity, privacy and safety of women and children and normalises sexual harassment in digital spaces.
The government cautioned X that non-compliance with due diligence obligations could lead to the loss of safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act and invite action under other laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
X has been directed to conduct a comprehensive technical and governance-level review of Grok, strengthen safety guardrails, enforce strict user terms, and remove all unlawful content without delay. The ATR must detail technical measures adopted, actions taken against offending accounts, oversight by the Chief Compliance Officer and mechanisms to ensure continued legal compliance.
On Sunday, X’s Safety handle said the platform would act against illegal content by removing it, suspending accounts involved, and working with local governments as required.
