Indonesia has suspended access to Grok after the AI chatbot was used to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes involving real women and children. The country’s communications minister said the decision was made to protect women, minors, and the wider public from the risks of AI-generated pornographic content.
The Ministry of Communications called the spread of sexual deepfakes a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and digital safety, stressing that such material threatens public trust in online spaces. As a result, Grok has been temporarily blocked nationwide.
Grok is developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI and is integrated into X, a platform with one of its largest user bases in Indonesia. The controversy has drawn international attention, with governments around the world raising concerns after users used the tool to digitally alter real people’s photos and share them online.
French authorities have announced plan
s to investigate sexually explicit deepfakes linked to Grok, while Indian officials warned X that the tool is being misused to create degrading images of women. In the UK, the communications regulator said it has urgently contacted X and xAI to assess how they are meeting their legal responsibilities to protect users.
In the United States, several senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores, arguing that failing to act would undermine claims that app platforms provide safer digital environments.
Responding to the criticism, Elon Musk said that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as those who upload illegal material elsewhere online. X’s safety team added that the company removes unlawful content, including child sexual abuse material, suspends offending accounts, and works with law enforcement when necessary.
Following the backlash, xAI has restricted Grok’s AI image generator so that it is now available only to paying subscribers.