Malaysia and Indonesia Suspend Grok Over AI Images

Indonesia and Malaysia have temporarily suspended access to Grok after the AI chatbot was used to generate sexualized images of real women and children. The suspension was announced by government officials in both countries over the weekend, citing the need to protect citizens from non-consensual deepfake content.

Indonesia's Minister of Communications, Meutya Hafid, described the practice as a serious violation of human rights and dignity. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission issued similar restrictions after determining that safety measures proposed by the platform were inadequate. The move follows a wave of international criticism regarding the AI's image generation capabilities.

Indonesia has temporarily suspended access to Grok to protect citizens from AI-generated explicit content. The Ministry of Communications stated the ban aims to protect women, children, and the entire community from the risk of fake pornographic content generated using artificial intelligence technology.

Meutya Hafid, the minister of communications, emphasized the government's stance in a statement released on Saturday.

Malaysia followed Indonesia's lead on Sunday, with regulators announcing a temporary restriction on the platform. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated that the AI model was used to generate "sexually explicit" and "non-consensual manipulated images," including content involving women and minors.

Both nations have a history of regulating digital content. Indonesia, home to the world's third-largest number of X users, has previously cracked down on social media sites Tumblr and Reddit over explicit content.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission noted that it had issued notices to X Corp and xAI earlier this month requesting tougher safeguards. However, the Commission stated that the responses from the companies "relied primarily on user-initiated reporting mechanisms" and failed to address the "inherent risks" posed by Grok.

Following the backlash from governments and users, xAI made changes to the platform's accessibility. The company limited Grok's AI image generator to paying subscribers globally.

Elon Musk responded to the criticism on X, stating that "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." A separate post from the X safety account emphasized the company's policy of taking action against illegal content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it and suspending accounts.

Grok is facing pressure from governments worldwide. French authorities indicated they will investigate sexually explicit deepfakes generated by the AI. The Indian government sent a letter to X's chief compliance representative, stating that Grok is being "misused by users" to generate "images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner." India requested X conduct a comprehensive review and remove content violating local laws.

In the United Kingdom, communications regulator Ofcom made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand steps taken to protect UK users. Meanwhile, several US senators asked Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores. The senators argued that failing to act would "make a mockery" of the platforms' moderation practices.