India has issued a formal order to Elon Musk’s social media platform X to make immediate changes to its AI chatbot, Grok.
Complaints that the tool generated obscene and unlawful content prompted India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to issue the order.
TechCrunch reviewed the order. Officials made it clear that failure to comply could trigger serious legal consequences.
Government’s Intervention
Concerns emerged after users shared examples of Grok altering images of individuals. Most of the cases involved women.
In these instances, the AI changed photos to make women appear to be wearing bikinis. Soon after, lawmakers took notice.
Indian parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi filed a formal complaint. She raised concerns about misuse, consent, and harm.
Separately, reports also flagged a more severe issue; Grok generated sexualized images involving minors. This raised immediate alarms among regulators and the public.
X acknowledged the issue earlier on Friday; the company said the problem stemmed from lapses in safeguards. Those images were later taken down.
Still, not all problematic content was removed right away. At the time of publication, TechCrunch found that some altered images of women remained accessible on X.
Government Order
On Friday, the IT ministry issued a direct order to X. The platform must take immediate technical and procedural corrective action.
The ministry instructed X to restrict Grok from generating content involving nudity, sexualization, or sexually explicit material. The order also covers any content that is unlawful under Indian law.
In addition, X must submit an action-taken report within 72 hours. This report must outline the steps taken to prevent the hosting or spread of obscene material.
The ministry listed prohibited content clearly. This includes material that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, pedophilic, or otherwise banned by law.
Noncompliance Risks
The order carried a strong warning. Officials stated that failure to comply could jeopardize X’s “safe harbor” protection.
Under Indian law, safe harbor grants platforms legal immunity for user-generated content. However, this protection applies only if companies follow local regulations.
If X loses this status, it could face liability under India’s IT law, and criminal statutes could also apply.
The ministry warned that action could be taken against the platform, its responsible officers, and users who violate the law.
Importantly, the warning stated that no further notice would be given.
Earlier Advisory
This latest order followed a broader advisory issued earlier in the week. On Monday, the IT ministry reminded social media platforms of their obligations.
The advisory stressed that compliance with laws governing obscene and sexually explicit content is mandatory. It also urged companies to strengthen internal safeguards.
The ministry emphasized that legal immunity depends on compliance. Platforms that fail to act could face enforcement under IT and criminal laws.
The Undertone
India is one of the world’s largest digital markets. As a result, its regulatory actions carry global significance with rippling effects.
Also, the order comes at a sensitive time for X. The company is already challenging parts of India’s content regulation rules in court.
X argues that federal takedown powers risk government overreach. At the same time, the platform has complied with most blocking directives issued by authorities.
Now, Grok has added a new layer of regulatory pressure.
