India’s IT Ministry has askedX to share clearer details on the action taken against obscene content linked to its AI tool Grok. While X submitted a long and detailed reply, government sources say it failed to answer key questions. The Centre wants exact takedown data, user action details, and clear steps to stop misuse in the future. Officials say the reply was neither defiant nor casual, but still incomplete and inadequate.
Why Government Is Unhappy With X’s Response
According to sources quoted by Press Trust of India, X told the government that it respects Indian laws and guidelines, and considers India an important market. The platform also highlighted its policies on removing misleading content and non-consensual sexualised images.
However, officials found major gaps in the reply. The government says X did not provide specific details on how many posts were taken down, what action was taken against accounts involved, and what technical measures were introduced to stop similar misuse of Grok in the future.
The IT Ministry has now formally asked X to submit fresh information. This includes exact takedown numbers, enforcement actions, and future safeguards. X has been told to respond immediately.
There is still no public statement from X’s official handles explaining the details of its submission or the steps taken so far.
Earlier, X had been given extra time till Wednesday evening to submit an Action Taken Report after a strong warning over sexually explicit content being generated using Grok and similar AI tools.
What The IT Ministry Is Demanding Now
The IT Ministry had earlier flagged that Grok was being misused to generate vulgar and obscene images, particularly targeting women. Officials said users were creating fake accounts and using AI prompts to manipulate images in a derogatory way. The ministry called this a serious failure of platform-level safeguards.
The government clearly told X that safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act applies to intermediaries only if they follow due diligence rules. If platforms fail to act after being notified, they can lose legal immunity and face action under Indian law, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
X has been directed to remove all unlawful content without delay, enforce strict AI usage rules, suspend violating accounts, and preserve evidence. Similar concerns have also been raised by regulators in the United Kingdom and Malaysia, with Ofcom seeking urgent explanations from X and xAI. For now, the government is waiting for clearer answers, and concrete action.
