MeitY orders X to review Grok chatbot over alleged misuse

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has directed social media platform X to conduct a comprehensive review of its Grok chatbot after allegations that it has been used to generate obscene and sexual images of women,The Hindu reported.

In a letter dated Friday, the ministry asked the platform to carry out a technical, procedural and governance-level review of Grok.

X, formerly known as Twitter, did not immediately comment. Grok operates as a separate artificial intelligence company under X’s holding firm but maintains an account on the platform and automatically interacts with users. X owner Elon Musk has publicly described Grok as less restricted than other AI systems.

In a four-page letter to the platform’s Chief Compliance Officer in India, the ministry said it had observed that the chatbot was being misused “to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner in order to indecently denigrate them.”

The ministry said compliance with the Information Technology Act and the IT Rules, 2021, was mandatory and that legal protections under Section 79 of the Act applied only if platforms met due diligence requirements. It added that such acts could also attract penal action under other laws.

The platform was directed to remove or disable access to all content found to violate applicable laws “without delay” and in line with timelines set under the IT Rules, while preserving evidence. The platform has been asked to submit an action taken report by Monday.

The letter warned that non-compliance could lead to legal action against the platform, its responsible officers and users, without further notice, under multiple laws, including the IT Act and related criminal statutes.

Earlier on Friday, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said social media companies must take responsibility for content on their platforms. He also referred to recommendations by a parliamentary committee calling for stricter laws on obscene content online. The ministry has issued an advisory this week to all social media platforms to proactively remove obscene and pornographic material.