X pulls 3,500 posts, axes 600+ accounts over obscene Grok content

Social media platform X has removed about 3,500 content pieces and deleted more than 600 accounts after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) raised concerns over obscene material linked to the Elon Musk-backed AI chatbot Grok, as reported by PTI.

According to the sources cited in the report, X admitted its mistake and assured authorities that it would comply with Indian laws. “X has accepted its mistake, and said it will comply with Indian laws, going forward, X won’t allow obscene imagery,” the sources said.

The action follows a directive issued by the IT Ministry last week after it flagged explicit content on X and asked the company to submit an action taken report within 72 hours. The ministry cited misuse of X’s AI services, including Grok and xAI, for generating or sharing obscene images and videos of women.

The government warned that failure to comply could invite strict legal action under Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indecent Representation of Women Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

In its notice, the ministry also directed X to review its technical and governance frameworks to prevent misuse of AI-generated content, enforce stricter user policies, and suspend or terminate accounts found violating the law.

The platform responded by taking down the flagged content and accounts and said it would strengthen enforcement to prevent similar violations. Last Sunday, the platform’s ‘Safety’ handle said it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement where necessary.

“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content,” Musk said earlier.

The platform is facing growing scrutiny globally over the use of Grok to generate non-consensual sexually explicit images, a practice often described as ‘digital undressing.’ Governments in Europe and Asia have warned the platform of consequences if it fails to comply with online safety norms, as public calls for action against both the platform and the chatbot continue to grow.

On January 2, the IT Ministry had directed the platform to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content generated by the AI chatbot or face legal action. It also asked the U.S.-based firm to submit a detailed action taken report within 72 hours, outlining technical and organisational measures related to the Grok application, the role and oversight of the Chief Compliance Officer, actions taken against offending content and accounts, and steps to ensure compliance with mandatory reporting requirements under Indian law.