The Indian government has intensified oversight of Elon Musk’s company X following allegations of misuse of its artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Grok. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a notice to X, citing the creation and dissemination of illegal and obscene content.
According to MeitY, illegal content must be removed immediately, and X is required to submit a detailed compliance report within 72 hours outlining the steps taken.
Grok misuse triggers MeitY action
The ministry noted that instances of sexually explicit images generated using Grok, particularly involving images uploaded by women, have been on the rise. Concerns have also been raised by lawmakers and civil society organisations, prompting MeitY to take action. The ministry alleged that X has not adhered to due diligence requirements under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The notice highlighted—
- Access to all content violating Indian law must be blocked.
- Digital evidence must be preserved without destruction.
- A comprehensive review of Grok's technical design and operational framework must be conducted.
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India issues new instructions
The ministry has also instructed X to strengthen security measures and warned that accounts involved in violations may be suspended or closed.
MeitY further stated that non-compliance could result in the loss of ‘safe harbour’ protection under Section 79 of the IT Act. X may also face punitive action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, and the POCSO Act.
Responding to the notice, X Corp said it regularly takes action against illegal content, including the removal of content related to child sexual abuse, permanent suspension of offending accounts, and cooperation with law enforcement agencies. The company stated that if Grok is used to create illegal content, users will face the same penalties as direct content upload violations.
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Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that social media platforms must take responsibility for content published on their platforms. Citing the parliamentary standing committee’s recommendations, he added that intermediaries’ accountability needs to be stricter in cases of fake and illegal online content.
