The Centre on Friday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to social media platform X, directing it to remove sexually explicit content generated through its AI chatbot Grok and submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The move follows a letter by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, flagging the ease with which women’s obscene images were being created and circulated using Grok.
In a strongly worded notice, MeitY said it had observed serious lapses in X’s statutory due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The ministry said Grok AI was being widely misused to generate and circulate obscene, indecent and sexually explicit images and videos, with women and children being the primary targets. According to the notice, such content was being created using prompts and image manipulation tools, often involving photos uploaded online by women themselves.
MeitY said these actions violate dignity and privacy, normalise sexual harassment and undermine existing legal safeguards meant to protect women and children in digital spaces.
Platform Asked to Review Governance and Technical Safeguards
As part of the directive, the ministry asked X to conduct a comprehensive review of Grok’s “technical, procedural and governance-level” frameworks to prevent the generation of unlawful content. It also directed the platform to strictly enforce its terms of service and AI usage policies.
MeitY said X must take strong deterrent action, including suspension or termination of accounts found misusing Grok to generate such content.
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“All content already generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws must be removed or disabled without delay, in strict compliance with the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021, without vitiating evidence in any manner,” the ministry said.
Warning of Loss of Safe Harbour and Penal Action
The Centre warned that failure to comply with the directive could lead to the loss of X’s safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act. It also cautioned that penal action could be initiated under multiple laws, including the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Indecent Representation of Women Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The notice further sought clarity on the role of X’s chief compliance officer and whether the platform was adhering to mandatory reporting obligations under the BNSS, 2023. Copies of the notice have been sent to key ministries, commissions and state authorities, indicating a coordinated crackdown on AI-enabled obscenity.
In her letter to Vaishnaw, Chaturvedi said fake accounts were being used to upload women’s photographs and generate prompts through Grok to minimise clothing and sexualise them.
“This is unacceptable and a gross misuse of an AI function. Grok is enabling this behaviour by adhering to such requests,” she said, calling for stronger safeguards to make digital platforms safer for women.
Reiterating its warning, MeitY said non-compliance would invite “strict legal consequences” against the platform, its responsible officers and violators, without further notice.
Chaturvedi later thanked Vaishnaw for the Centre’s swift action.
“I would take this opportunity to thank the IT Minister for promptly taking note of my letter and for issuing a letter to X platform with regard to AI-led Grok generating problematic content about women based on prompts that disrespect women’s dignity and violates their consent, further silencing them on these platforms,” she tweeted.
