X accepts 'mistake', will work as per Indian laws to purge obscene imagery
New Delhi, Jan 11
Elon Musk-run X Corp has acknowledged the presence of obscene imagery on its platform, mostly created by its Grok AI, stating that it will comply with Indian laws and remove such content.
According to government sources on Sunday, the platform has blocked around 3,500 pieces of content and deleted more than 600 accounts in question. Sources further said that from now on, "X will not allow obscene imagery."
Earlier, X Corp, which runs the social media platform X, submitted a written response to the Government on the latter's notice to the company on the generation of "non-consensual sexual content by its Grok AI chatbot."
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) cracked down on X Corp for failing to prevent the generation and circulation of obscene, nude and indecent content on its platform.
The government had directed X Corp to send an action taken report (ATR) "towards immediate compliance for prevention of hosting, generation, publication or transmission, sharing or uploading of obscene, nude, indecent and explicit content through the misuse of AI-based services like 'Grok' and xAl's other services" within 72 hours.
The government directive states that "non-compliance with these requirements shall be viewed seriously and may result in strict legal consequences against your platform, its responsible officers and the users on the platform who violate the law, without any further notice, under the IT Act, the IT Rules, the BNSS, the BNS and other applicable laws".
The ministry directed X to conduct a comprehensive review of Grok's technical and governance frameworks to prevent the generation of unlawful content. It said Grok must enforce strict user policies, including suspension and termination of violators. All offending content should be immediately removed without tampering with evidence, it said.
X Corp said it continues to take action against illegal content on its social media platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), and is working with local governments and law enforcement agencies as necessary.
Musk also posted that "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally! These big tech companies think they can operate by their own rules. Our IT laws are strong and they must comply. Blocking 3500 pieces of content is a start, but continuous monitoring is needed.
While I support the crackdown on illegal content, I hope this doesn't become a tool for over-censorship. The line between obscenity and artistic expression can be thin. The enforcement should be precise and fair.
It's concerning that Grok AI was used to create such content in the first place. What were the safeguards? Musk's statement is good, but the platform needs to be proactive, not reactive after government notices.
Good move by MeitY. Indian digital space must be safe for everyone, especially our youth. Other platforms should also take note. Jai Hind!
The 72-hour deadline for the action report shows the government means business. Non-consensual content is a serious issue. Hope this sets a precedent for all AI tools operating here.
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