Indonesia and Malaysia have suspended access to Grok after the AI chatbot was used to generate sexualized images of real women and children.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications said the decision was made to protect women, children, and the wider public from the risks of non-consensual pornographic content created with artificial intelligence. Communications Minister Meutya Hafid called the practice of sexual deepfakes a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and digital safety.
The move comes as international pressure on Grok continues to grow. In the UK, media regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into X over reports that the chatbot was used to produce explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. If the platform is found to have breached the law, it could face fines of up to $24 million or 10% of global revenue.
Malaysia followed Indonesia’s lead by temporarily blocking Grok after regulators said it had been used to create sexually explicit and non-consensual manipulated images, including content involving minors. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it had already warned X Corp and xAI to strengthen safeguards, but felt the companies relied too heavily on user reporting and failed to address the underlying risks.
Grok is developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI and is integrated into X. Indonesia, one of X’s largest user markets, has previously restricted platforms such as Tumblr and Reddit over explicit content.
Concerns over Grok are now spreading globally. Authorities in France have announced investigations into explicit deepfakes, while India has warned X that the tool is being misused to create degrading images of women. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also condemned the content, calling it unlawful, and several US senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores.
In response to criticism, Musk said anyone using Grok to produce illegal content would face the same consequences as if they uploaded it directly. X has also stated that it removes illegal material and works with law enforcement when necessary. Following the backlash, Grok’s image-generation feature has now been limited to paying subscribers.