3 min read
Indonesia and Malaysia have officially blocked access to Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok. This marks the first time governments have formally banned the tool. The decision follows a surge in reports that Grok generated non-consensual sexually explicit imagery (NCII) and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Regulators in both Southeast Asian nations moved quickly this weekend. They cited the platform’s failure to prevent users from creating “undressed” deepfakes of real women and minors.
Grok AI & “Digital-Based Violence”
The Indonesian government announced the temporary ban on Saturday. Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, condemned the content. She stated that the government views non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights and dignity. Furthermore, Hafid categorised these AI-generated images as a form of “digital-based violence”.
Consequently, Indonesian authorities have summoned representatives from X to discuss the issue.
Malaysia followed suit on Sunday. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) criticised X Corp for “repeated failures” to address risks. The MCMC noted that X’s response to earlier notices was “insufficient”. They argued that the company relied too heavily on user reporting rather than fixing the tool’s inherent design flaws.
Both nations have stated that the ban will remain until effective safeguards are implemented.
Musk’s Response & “Legacy Media Lies”
xAI and Elon Musk have responded defensively to the backlash. Musk posted on X that authorities were merely looking for “any excuse for censorship”.
When multiple news agencies reached out for comment regarding the bans, xAI’s press email returned an automated reply:
Legacy Media Lies
However, xAI has acknowledged some issues. The company issued an apology via the Grok account, admitting a post violated ethical standards and potentially US laws regarding child safety. In response, xAI limited Grok’s image generation features to paying X subscribers.
Critics argue this move is inadequate. Regulators noted that this restriction essentially turns the generation of inappropriate images into a “premium service”. Moreover, reports indicate that the restriction did not apply to the standalone Grok app, leaving a loophole for abuse.
The human cost of these deepfakes is rising. Kirana Ayuningtyas, an Indonesian wheelchair user, discovered strangers used Grok to edit her photos into bikinis. Despite adjusting privacy settings and reporting the content, the images remained online.
As of today, Grok remains blocked in Indonesia and Malaysia, with pressure mounting on Apple and Google to take further action. TechJuice previously reported that X will have to pay a big price if it doesn’t fix these loopholes in time. Things are seemingly going in that exact direction for now.
