Ofcom said it has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X to determine if the company complied with its duties to protect people in the U.K. from content that is illegal in the country.
“There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” said the U.K. online safety watchdog in a press release on Monday.
Ofcom said it will check if X failed to comply with its legal obligations under the Online Safety Act, in particular, to — take appropriate steps to prevent people in the U.K. from seeing ‘priority’ illegal content, including non-consensual intimate images and CSAM; take down illegal content swiftly when they become aware of it; and use highly effective age assurance to protect UK children from seeing pornography.
“Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning. Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children,” said an Ofcom spokesperson. “We’ll progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority, while ensuring we follow due process.
Ofcom noted that it contacted with X on Jan. 5 and set a firm deadline of Jan. 9 for it to explain what steps it has taken to comply with its duties to protect its users in the U.K. The regulator added that the company responded by the deadline, and it carried out an expedited assessment of available evidence.
On Friday, a group of U.S. senators asked Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google to remove the Elon Musk-owned X and Grok apps from their app stores, citing the generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children on the platforms.
Musk’s AI start up xAI (X.AI) said “Legacy Media Lies,” in an email to Seeking Alpha.
On Friday, xAI said it restricted the use of AI service Grok’s image generation features to paying subscribers following a growing outcry over its use for sexualized deepfakes of women and children.
On Jan. 3, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Musk posted on X that, “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
Ofcom noted that if its probe finds that a company has broken the law, it can require platforms to take steps to come into compliance or to remedy harm caused by the breach. It can also impose fines of up to £18M or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.