The Union government on Friday took a tough stand against X Corp, formerly Twitter, over the alleged misuse of its artificial intelligence tool Grok to generate obscene and sexually explicit content targeting women.
The action followed a detailed notice issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), expressing “grave concern” over reports that Grok was being used to create synthetic images and videos that violate the dignity, privacy, and safety of women.
Government Flags Due Diligence Failure
According to the notice, MeitY found that X had failed to comply with its statutory obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021. The ministry stated that Grok’s outputs, when misused by users through prompts and image manipulation, reflected a serious breakdown of platform-level safeguards.
“The conduct amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence technologies and a failure to enforce mandatory safeguards,” the ministry said, warning that such practices normalise sexual harassment in digital spaces.
72-Hour Deadline for Action Taken Repo
The government directed X to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 72 hours. The report must detail:
- Technical and organisational measures adopted to prevent unlawful content
- Oversight exercised by X’s India-based chief compliance officer
- Steps taken against offending content, users, and accounts
- Compliance with mandatory reporting obligations under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023
The notice also asked the company to ensure that all offending material is removed immediately, without tampering with evidence.
Strict Review of Grok’s Safety Framework Ordered
MeitY instructed X to conduct a comprehensive review of Grok’s technical, procedural, and governance frameworks. This includes examining how prompts are processed, how outputs are generated, and whether adequate safety guardrails are in place.
The ministry specifically directed that Grok must not generate or promote nudity, sexualisation, or any other unlawful content. It also called for strict enforcement of user policies, including suspension or termination of accounts found violating the law.
Warning on Loss of Legal Protection
The notice made it clear that non-compliance could have serious legal consequences. Failure to adhere to due diligence norms may result in X losing its “safe harbour” protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, which shields intermediaries from liability for third-party content.
The ministry warned that further action could be initiated under multiple laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Indecent Representation of Women Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Political Concern Over Women’s Safety Online
The government’s intervention came after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi raised the issue with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. In her letter, Chaturvedi highlighted a disturbing trend where women’s photos were being altered and sexualised using Grok, often through fake accounts.
“This is unacceptable and a gross misuse of an AI function,” she wrote, adding that Grok appeared to be enabling such behaviour by complying with these prompts.
Notice Copied to Multiple Authorities
Signalling a coordinated crackdown, MeitY marked copies of the notice to other central ministries, commissions, and state authorities. The move underlined the government’s intent to treat AI-enabled obscenity as a serious compliance issue with wide legal implications.
The matter now rests with X, which has been asked to respond within the stipulated time frame and demonstrate concrete steps to bring its AI systems in line with Indian law.
