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India Cracks Down on X Over AI-Generated Obscene Content, Demands Action in 72 Hours

The Indian government has issued a strict 72-hour directive to X Corp, demanding immediate action to prevent the AI-driven generation and circulation of obscene and indecent content on its platform, specifically citing misuse of its 'Grok' AI service. The Ministry of Electronics and IT warned that failure to comply could result in the loss of legal safe harbour protections and trigger penalties under multiple laws, including those protecting women and children. The notice highlights that the AI misuse is not limited to fake accounts but also targets women who publish their own content, manipulating it into derogatory material. A copy of the notice has been shared with other key ministries and authorities, indicating a coordinated government crackdown on AI-facilitated obscenity.

Key Points: India Orders X to Stop AI-Generated Obscene Content

  • 72-hour ultimatum for action report
  • AI service 'Grok' cited for misuse
  • Threat to safe harbour protection
  • Violations target women & children
  • Multi-ministry coordination
3 min read

Centre cracks down on X over AI-driven obscene, nude & indecent content

Indian government issues 72-hour ultimatum to X Corp over AI misuse creating obscene content, threatening legal action and loss of safe harbour.

"non-compliance... may result in strict legal consequences - Ministry of Electronics and IT"

New Delhi, Jan 2

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday cracked down on X Corp for failing to prevent the generation and circulation of obscene, nude and indecent content on its platform.

The government has 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 Al-based services like 'Grok' and xAl's other services" within 72 hours.

The 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.

The MeitY said non-compliance could lead to loss of safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act and trigger penal action under multiple laws, including the BNS, the Indecent Representation of Women Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

In the letter to X, the ministry said that it is of the view that the regulatory provisions under the Information Technology Act are not adequately adhered to by its platform, in relation to obscene, indecent, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic, or otherwise unlawful or harmful content, which are potentially violative of extant laws.

The aforesaid acts and omissions are viewed with grave concern, as they have the effect of violating the dignity, privacy and safety of women and children, normalising sexual harassment and exploitation in digital spaces, and undermining the statutory due diligence framework applicable to intermediaries operating in India, the letter pointed out.

The letter also states that it has especially been observed that the service Grok AI developed by X and integrated and made available on the X platform, is being misused by users to create accounts to host, generate, publish, or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner in order to indecently denigrate them.

Importantly, this is not limited to the creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host or publish their images or videos, through prompts, image manipulation, and synthetic outputs. Such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence technologies in violation of applicable laws, the letter states.

A copy of the notice has also been sent to key ministries, commissions, and state authorities, signalling coordinated action on obscenity that is being promoted through AI.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good move by MeitY. But will this just be another notice that gets ignored? We've seen big tech companies drag their feet before. The 72-hour deadline is good, but we need to see real enforcement and penalties if they fail.
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Arjun K
While I support protecting women and children online, I hope this doesn't become a tool for overreach and censorship. The line between harmful content and free expression can be thin. The framework needs to be precise and transparent.
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Sarah B
As someone who works in tech, this is a complex issue. AI moderation at scale is incredibly difficult. However, Grok being integrated into X makes it their direct responsibility. They need to invest heavily in safety-by-design, not just react to notices.
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Vikram M
Absolutely correct action. Indian laws and our societal values must be respected by these global platforms. You cannot allow your AI tools to be used to "indecently denigrate" women and hide behind "safe harbour". Jai Hind.
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Kavya N
This is about basic decency and the law. It's shocking that such explicit misuse is happening. Parents are worried about what their kids might stumble upon. Strict action is the only language these companies understand sometimes.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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