The Centre on Friday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to X, directing the platform to remove sexually explicit content generated through its AI chatbot Grok and submit a detailed action taken report to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The action followed a complaint by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who flagged how Grok was being misused to create and circulate obscene images of women. In a strongly worded notice, the ministry said it had observed serious violations of statutory due diligence obligations under the IT Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, and warned that such misuse posed grave concerns for women’s safety and dignity online.
The ministry noted that Grok was being exploited to generate sexually explicit images and videos, often by manipulating photographs uploaded by women themselves. It said X must immediately review its technical safeguards, content moderation mechanisms and governance systems to prevent such abuse. The company has also been directed to strictly enforce its platform rules, including suspending or terminating accounts involved in generating or circulating illegal content. All unlawful material already created must be removed within the stipulated timeframe, without compromising evidence required for legal action.
The government warned that failure to comply would lead to the withdrawal of X’s safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act and could invite penal action under multiple laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the Indecent Representation of Women Act and the POCSO Act. The notice also sought clarification on the role of X’s chief compliance officer and adherence to mandatory reporting requirements under Indian law, signalling stricter scrutiny of AI-driven platforms.
The move came after Chaturvedi wrote to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighting how fake accounts were using Grok to generate sexualised images of women by issuing prompts that altered their appearance. She described the practice as a serious violation of consent and dignity, and said such tools were enabling harassment rather than preventing it. The ministry echoed these concerns, stating that such misuse normalises abuse and undermines legal protections for women and children.
Following the government’s action, Chaturvedi thanked the IT Ministry for its swift response, saying the intervention was necessary to curb the misuse of artificial intelligence and ensure digital platforms remain safe spaces. The Centre has made it clear that any failure by X to comply within the given timeframe will invite strict legal consequences without further notice.
