X Removes Vulgar Content Generated By Grok After MeitY Notice

X has removed 3,500 pieces of obscene content, mostly generated through Grok, after the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) issued a notice to it

The social media platform has assured authorities that it will comply with the law and won't allow obscene imagery going forward

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has removed 3,500 posts of obscene content, mostly generated through Grok – the chatbot developed by xAI – after the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) issued a notice to it.

X also removed 600 accounts linked to such content after deepfake images of women doctored through Grok flooded the platform soon after its image generator was released, news agency PTI reported. The platform has assured authorities in India that it will comply with the law, adding that the platform won’t allow obscene imagery going forward.

This came after the IT ministry on January 2 asked X to remove all obscene, vulgar and unlawful imagery created by Grok from the platform or face prosecution. In a directive, the ministry said Grok was being misused to create fake accounts on X that host, generate, publish or share deepfake images of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner.

It also asked the social media giant to submit an action report detailing the technical and organisational measures it is taking in relation to Grok, actions it has taken against offending content, users and accounts, and the systems it has put in place to comply with the mandatory reporting requirements under Indian laws.

“Importantly, this is not limited to creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host or publish their images or videos, through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs,” the ministry said.

The ministry told the platform that complying with the Indian IT Act was not optional, and that exemption from liability for online intermediaries under Section 79 of the Act could be revoked if the platform did not follow due diligence obligations. This would make X liable for consequential action under other laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The social media platform’s initial response, while long and detailed, was found to be unsatisfactory by the ministry. It reportedly did not contain any information related to take down actions, and the steps taken by the platform to restrict such content in the future.

When pressed by the ministry, X admitted its mistake, adding that it removed thousands of pieces of such content and that it will comply with Indian laws and regulations going forward.

Notably, X has had multiple run-ins with Indian authorities in the past. X, then known as Twitter, had its safe harbor protections revoked in 2021 for three months when a case was filed against it in Delhi High Court for failing to comply with IT Rules, specifically the requirement to appoint Indian residents as officers in the country to look after grievances and compliance. The government had reacted strongly to Twitter’s defiance at the time, noting that the platform was required to follow the laws of the land.

In July last year, X claimed it was asked by the government to remove thousands of accounts under Section 69A of the IT Act, including those of some news agencies. However, the Centre refuted the claims and said it instead wrote to X to unblock the accounts of news platforms like Reuters and ReutersWorld.

X has also repeatedly filed lawsuits challenging orders from the government to block specific content or accounts. A writ petition filed last year with the Karnataka High Court against continued take down orders and the Sahyog portal that facilitates such requests was dismissed in September.