Malaysia lifts ban on Grok over AI image concerns
What's the story
Malaysia has lifted the suspension on Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, after nearly two weeks of being blocked due to fears of AI-generated sexualized deepfakes. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had suspended the service on X and xAI on January 11, even appointing solicitors to commence "legal proceedings." However, today it announced that "the temporary access restriction on the use of the Grok application on the X platform has been lifted effective today."
Security assurance
Compliance with security measures confirmed
The MCMC's statement also noted that the decision to lift the suspension came after "confirmation of the implementation of additional preventive and security measures by the platform." However, it did not specify what these measures were. On Wednesday, Malaysian officials and X representatives met for clarification on X's preventive measures and its compliance with Malaysian law.
Ongoing oversight
X's compliance under continuous monitoring
X has confirmed that the required security measures have been implemented and its compliance is being monitored by authorities. Last week, Malaysia had threatened legal action against both X and xAI if they failed to take appropriate action. The move came after researchers revealed that Grok had generated an estimated three million sexualized images of women and children, highlighting the scale of explicit content that triggered global outrage.
Global response
Geoblocking measures in response to global outrage
In light of the global outcry over Grok's misuse, X announced last week that it would "geoblock the ability" of all Grok and X users to create images of people in "bikinis, underwear, and similar attire" where such actions are illegal. This move is part of a wider effort by regulators around the world to seek corrective action from Musk and his companies.