Malaysia, Indonesia Block Musk’s Grok Amid Explicit Content Scrutiny

Both countries pointed to harm involving women and minors as a central concern driving regulatory action.

Illustration of generative AI chatbot Grok, in an undated file image. Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Malaysia and Indonesia have announced a decision to block access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, amid scrutiny over the tool’s use to generate sexually explicit images, including ones that appear to depict minors.

The coordinated actions by the two Southeast Asian nations are the strongest regulatory response yet against Grok, as governments across Europe and North America press X and xAI to explain how the system allowed the creation of sexualized and manipulated images.

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said on Jan. 10 that it had temporarily suspended access to Grok to protect the public from “the risk posed by fake pornographic content” generated using artificial intelligence. The ministry said the decision was aimed at safeguarding women, children, and society at large.

“The Government considers the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes to be a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,” Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in a statement.

The ministry also said it had requested that representatives from X clarify the negative effects of Grok use.

Indonesia’s communications ministry said the temporary suspension was carried out under its existing regulatory authority. It cited a 2020 regulation governing private electronic system operators, which requires platforms to ensure their systems do not host or facilitate prohibited electronic content.

Under the regulation, companies can face access restrictions if they fail to prevent the dissemination of illegal material, including content that violates public morality or harms vulnerable groups.

The ministry did not specify how long the suspension would remain in place but said the measure was taken to prevent further harm while authorities assessed compliance.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which on Jan. 3 said it had started an investigation into alleged online harms on X, said on Jan. 11 that it had ordered temporary restrictions on access to Grok for users in Malaysia, effective immediately.

The regulator said the action followed repeated misuse of Grok to generate “obscene, sexually explicit, indecent, grossly offensive, and non-consensual manipulated images, including content involving women and minors.”

The regulator said access to Grok would remain restricted until effective safeguards were implemented, particularly to prevent content involving women and children, and added that it remained open to engagement with X and xAI if compliance could be demonstrated.

“MCMC remains open to engagement with X Corp. and xAI LLC subject to demonstrable compliance with Malaysian law,” the regulator said.

(Left) Elon Musk at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, on June 16, 2023. (Right) The X logo, pictured on a screen in Paris on July 24, 2023. Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images

X, Musk Respond to Allegations

X has said it has taken steps to curb the misuse of the chatbot.

On Jan. 4, X’s safety unit cited a post by Musk saying the platform takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and cooperating with local governments and law enforcement when necessary.

The move followed an earlier statement on Jan. 1 in which Grok said it was addressing safeguard lapses after isolated cases in which it produced sexualized outputs, including depictions of minors.

Musk had also written in a Jan. 3 post that “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”

On Jan. 9, a Grok post informed users that its image generation and editing features would be restricted to paying subscribers.

International Scrutiny

Regulatory scrutiny of Grok has also intensified in Europe. Authorities in the UK and the European Union notified X and xAI on Jan. 5 that they were aware of reports alleging Grok had been used to generate sexually explicit images.

The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, opened a formal investigation on Jan. 12 into X under the UK’s Online Safety Act to determine whether X has complied with its duties to protect UK users from illegal content.

An Ofcom spokesperson said the regulator will “progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority.”

If the probe finds that a company has broken the law, it can require platforms to take specific steps to come into compliance or remedy any harm caused. Ofcom can also impose fines of up to 18 million pounds ($24.2 million) or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

Canada moved to distance itself from reports of potential restrictions. On Jan. 11, Evan Solomon, Canada’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, said Ottawa was not considering a ban on X.

“Contrary to media reports, Canada is not considering a ban of X,” Solomon said in a post on X, responding to reports that the UK was seeking international support to challenge the platform.