X backs down after Grok row, deletes 600 accounts as India tightens the screws

Elon Musk–owned social media platform X has admitted fault and moved swiftly to comply with Indian law, blocking thousands of posts and deleting hundreds of accounts after the Centre cracked down on the misuse of its AI chatbot, Grok.

Government sources said X has taken down around 3,500 posts and deleted more than 600 accounts found to be in violation of Indian laws, while also pledging to prevent the circulation of obscene and sexually explicit imagery on the platform going forward.

“X has accepted its mistake and said it will work as per the laws of India,” sources said, adding that corrective measures are already under way.

Govt steps in after Grok goes viral

The action follows a January 2 notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which gave X 72 hours to comply with statutory obligations after its in-built AI tool Grok was found to be generating and spreading disturbing content.

Grok had gone viral in recent days, driven in part by a controversial “bikini” trend, triggering massive user engagement but also raising serious red flags over the creation and circulation of vulgar, obscene and sexually explicit images and videos, particularly those targeting women.

Violations of IT law flagged

In its letter, MeitY said Grok was being misused through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs to create content that violates India’s IT Act, 2000 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The Ministry warned that such material undermines the dignity, privacy and safety of women and children, and reflects a systemic failure of platform-level safeguards.

It reminded X that compliance with Indian law is mandatory for significant social media intermediaries, cautioning that failure to comply could lead to the loss of legal immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act and invite further legal action.

X pulls content, promises tighter controls

MeitY had directed X to conduct a comprehensive technical and governance-level review of Grok, remove unlawful content without delay, and submit an Action Taken Report within 72 hours.

Government sources now say X has acknowledged the concerns, removed the flagged material and committed to strengthening safeguards to ensure that obscene and abusive AI-generated content is no longer produced or circulated on the platform.

The episode marks one of the sharpest regulatory confrontations yet between New Delhi and a global tech platform over AI-driven content, underscoring India’s determination to hold digital intermediaries accountable — even as generative AI tools race ahead.