India issues strict directive against Grok over obscene content, 72-hour ultimatum to X

Staff Report: PNN

The Indian government has taken a strict stance against the AI-based chatbot Grok. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has instructed Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to implement rapid technical and policy changes over allegations of producing obscene and unethical content.

In a directive issued on Friday, the government stated that Grok must not, under any circumstances, create or distribute nudity, sexually stimulating, distorted, or illegal content. X has been given 72 hours to submit a report detailing the steps taken and the enhanced safeguards being implemented to prevent such content in the future.

India’s IT Ministry warned that non-compliance with the directive could result in the platform losing its “safe harbor” protection. Under this protection, platforms are generally exempt from direct liability for user-generated content. Losing it could expose X to potential legal challenges.

Recently, several examples surfaced on social media showing Grok being used to artificially alter images of women, depicting them in bikinis. Indian Parliament member Priyanka Chaturvedi formally lodged a complaint regarding this. In a separate incident, allegations also emerged that Grok was used to generate sexualized images of minors, which X later acknowledged and removed.

However, investigations have found that some controversial images generated by altering adult women’s pictures remain accessible on the platform.

Earlier this week, the Indian government issued a general advisory to social media platforms, stating clearly that platforms failing to regulate obscene or sexual content according to local laws would face strict actions against the platform and responsible officials.

As one of the world’s largest digital markets, India has become a critical testing ground for tech companies. Analysts believe that the government’s strictness regarding AI-generated content could have international implications.

It is worth noting that Elon Musk’s X has already challenged some of India’s content regulation rules in court, claiming that governmental authority to remove content could lead to excessive interference. Still, in most cases, the platform has complied with India’s blocking directives.

Meanwhile, the growing use of Grok for news analysis and real-time verification has made its output far more visible, creating politically and socially sensitive situations.