The Centre flagged Grok’s obscene content after issuing a notice to X Corp, warning that misuse of its AI tool violated Indian IT laws and endangered women’s online safety. a Notification about the Unlawful Use of its AI Tool Grok by the Ministry of Electronics and IT. The Ministry raised a Major Concern, as Users had been using Grok to create Obscene Content that was directed specifically at Women. The Ministry stated that Users were violating the Provisions of the IT Act of 2000 and IT Rules 2021. The Government stated that the Use of Grok had led to the Production of Indecent and Sexually Explicit Images and therefore blatantly violates the Dignity and Privacy of Women as well as their Legal Protections.
The Ministry has warned that the Uncontrolled Use of AI for the Purpose of Generating Content Normalises Female Online Sexual Harassment and Undermines Safeguards that Protect Women and Children Online. Ministry has directed X to Immediately Review the Technical and Governance Frameworks that support Grok’s Operations and has ordered the Company to stop the Generation of Unlawful Content at the Source. The Ministry has instructed X to Disable all Access to Offensive Material without deleting any Digital Evidence.
Government Seeks Immediate Compliance From X
The Centre required X to file an action taken report detailing enforcement actions taken and compliance obligations no later than 72 hours after receipt of notice. The ministry further requested clarification regarding the role of its Chief Compliance Officer and confirmation regarding the mandatory reporting requirements specified in the BNSS 2023. MeitY instructed X to suspend or terminate the accounts associated with the violations of law, and warned that failure to do so may result in the revocation of the safe harbour protections provided for by Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
The ministry stated that the violations would give rise to possible penal actions under numerous other laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indecent Representation of Women Act, in addition to referencing the Provisions contained within the POCSO Act. The ministry had also shared the notice with other ministries and Statutory Commissions, and indicated that there would be a coordinated national response to address AI-enhanced indecency.
Political pressure grows over Grok’s obscene content and women’s safety
The report also includes a detailed statement from Shiv Sena’s (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi in Parliament recently regarding this issue. She has urged the Government to implement safeguards on Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and applications being used on “X”.Chaturvedi said individuals increasingly target women by creating fake accounts on social media platforms. According to Chaturvedi, users were able to manipulate the AI tool “Grok” to create pornographic images of women using the information they provided in an AI prompt. Furthermore, Chaturvedi states, attacks on women sharing private pictures were also common.
When confronted with abusive prompts, Grok would return results. Chaturvedi calls this unacceptable and dangerous behaviour toward women’s safety. Chaturvedi calls for the creation of public safety measures and urges the Government to implement strong measures to create safe environments for users of digital platforms. The Government stated it would monitor X closely to ensure compliance in the future.
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