India Cracks Down: Govt Gives X 72 Hours to Stop Grok AI's Obscene Image Misuse

India's IT Ministry has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to X over widespread misuse of Grok AI for generating obscene deepfake images of women and children without consent. Triggered by Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi's complaint, the directive demands immediate content removal, stronger safeguards, and platform accountability to protect privacy and dignity. Non-compliance could cost X its legal safe harbour status under Indian laws. This action signals tougher scrutiny on AI ethics and women's online safety.

IN SHORTIndia's IT Ministry has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to X over widespread misuse of Grok AI for generating obscene deepfake images of women and children without consent. Triggered by Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi's complaint, the directive demands immediate content removal, stronger safeguards, and platform accountability to protect privacy and dignity. Non-compliance could cost X its legal safe harbour status under Indian laws. This action signals tougher scrutiny on AI ethics and women's online safety.

In a swift move to tackle the dark side of AI, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has slapped a 72-hour deadline on X, demanding the immediate removal of all sexually explicit content generated by its Grok AI chatbot. The directive comes after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi flagged alarming instances where users were uploading women's photos and prompting Grok to churn out obscene images and videos, often without consent.

This misuse has been described as a gross violation of women's dignity and privacy, turning social media into a tool for normalized harassment. MeitY pointed out serious failures in X's compliance with Indian IT laws, including due diligence obligations. The platform must not only scrub existing violating content but also overhaul Grok's frameworks to block future abuses—think stricter prompt filters, account bans, and better enforcement of terms.

Non-compliance could strip X of its intermediary safe harbour, exposing it to lawsuits and penalties under multiple laws like the IT Act, POCSO, and Indecent Representation of Women Act. Chaturvedi praised the quick response from IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighting how such tools silence women online. This episode underscores the growing need for ethical guardrails on AI, especially as deepfakes become easier to create and harder to detect.

As authorities coordinate with women's commissions and police, the incident serves as a wake-up call for tech giants: innovation can't come at the cost of safety and respect.