The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has expressed "grave concern" over the misuse of Grok to create and circulate non-consensual, sexually explicit images and videos, particularly targeting women and children.
Key Highlights of the Ultimatum:
72-Hour Deadline: The government has demanded an "Action Taken Report" (ATR) from X's Chief Compliance Officer within 72 hours (by January 5, 2026).
Removal of Obscene Content: X must immediately remove or disable access to all AI-generated images and videos that are "obscene, nude, indecent, or sexually explicit."
Loss of "Safe Harbour" Protection: The Ministry warned that failure to comply would result in the loss of legal immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act. This would make the platform and its officers liable for criminal prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other laws.
Mandatory Technical Review: X is required to conduct a comprehensive review of Grok's safety guardrails, "prompt-processing," and "output-generation" to ensure it cannot be used to create derogatory content.
The Catalyst for Action
The notice follows a series of reports and a formal letter from Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. She flagged a "disturbing trend" where users were prompting Grok to "digitally undress" women and children using their public photos.
X and Elon Musk's Response
Grok's Admission: The AI chatbot itself posted on X, acknowledging "lapses in safeguards" and stating that team members are "urgently fixing them."
Elon Musk's Stance: Musk stated on X that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same legal consequences as those who upload illegal content. However, he also faced criticism for initially appearing to downplay the issue with emojis in response to some AI-edited images.