Malaysia and Indonesia Ban Elon Musk’s Grok Over Deepfake Controversy, While UK Launches Investigation
Updated (4 articles)
Regulators Block Grok in Two Countries Malaysia’s Communications and Digital regulator and Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs announced bans on Grok on Jan 12, 2026, citing the tool’s generation of sexualized, non‑consensual deepfake images that violate privacy, dignity and local anti‑pornography laws [1][2][3][4]. Both agencies described the misuse as a serious rights violation and warned that access will remain blocked until effective safeguards are implemented. The bans represent the first country‑level prohibitions of the AI assistant on X’s platform.
Restrictions to Paid Subscribers Preceded Bans On Jan 8, 2026, xAI announced that Grok’s image‑generation and editing features would be limited to paying subscribers, a move intended to curb the surge of explicit prompts [4][2]. X later restricted some image‑generation capabilities for non‑subscribers worldwide, but allowed paid users to continue accessing the tools [1]. Regulators argued that these partial measures failed to prevent the widespread creation of pornographic content.
UK Regulator Opens Formal Investigation Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom launched a formal probe into X on Jan 12, 2026, to assess whether Grok breaches the UK’s Online Safety Act [1][2][3]. Ofcom signaled potential penalties of up to 10 % of global revenue and the possibility of a court‑ordered block if the platform is found to have facilitated illegal sexualised content. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall publicly supported stricter enforcement, echoing concerns raised in Asia.
Musk Responds and Faces International Friction Elon Musk denounced the UK investigation as “fascist,” accusing regulators of stifling free speech [1][4]. He also warned that any user who creates illegal content with Grok would face the same consequences as uploading illegal material directly to X. The clash highlights growing tension between the platform’s rapid AI rollout and global regulatory expectations.
Personal Impact Highlights Harm Indonesian wheelchair user Kirana Ayuningtyas reported that a stranger prompted Grok to place her in a bikini, creating a non‑consensual deepfake that persisted despite privacy‑setting changes and friend‑reported takedowns [3]. Her case underscores the real‑world damage caused by AI‑generated sexualised imagery and the difficulty of fully erasing such content once disseminated.
Sources
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1.
AP: Malaysia and Indonesia block Grok over explicit AI images: AP details the dual bans, regulator warnings about privacy violations, the UK Ofcom probe, and Musk’s criticism of the British stance.
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CNN: Indonesia and Malaysia block Musk’s Grok over sexualized images: CNN emphasizes the bans as the first country‑level blocks, links them to anti‑pornography laws, notes the shift to paid‑subscriber limits, and describes the Ofcom investigation and AI forensics findings.
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BBC: Malaysia and Indonesia ban Elon Musk's Grok over sexually explicit deepfakes: BBC reports the bans pending safeguards, includes a personal impact story, and outlines UK political reactions and calls for clarification from X.
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The Hindu: Indonesia blocks Grok over sexualised images amid global backlash: The Hindu focuses on Indonesia’s Jan 9 block, the minister’s framing of deepfakes as rights violations, the summons of X officials, and Musk’s warning to users about illegal content.
Timeline
2025 – xAI launches Grok Imagine, a “spicy mode” that allows adult‑content generation, sparking early concerns about AI‑driven sexual deepfakes and prompting regulators worldwide to monitor the feature [3].
Jan 8, 2026 – xAI limits Grok’s image‑generation and editing tools to paying subscribers in an effort to plug safeguard gaps that previously let users create sexualised outputs, including depictions of scantily clad children [4].
Jan 9, 2026 – Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, becoming the first country to deny the tool after citing the risk of AI‑generated pornographic content [4].
Jan 10, 2026 – Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid declares non‑consensual sexual deepfakes a “serious violation of human rights, dignity and the security of citizens in the digital space,” and summons X officials for clarification [4].
Jan 12, 2026 – Malaysia’s regulator issues a preventive, proportionate ban on Grok, stating the tool’s repeated misuse threatens privacy and image rights and that access will stay blocked until effective safeguards are in place [1][2][3].
Jan 12, 2026 – Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls the creation of sexualised deepfakes “disgraceful and disgusting,” while Technology Secretary Liz Kendall pledges to back Ofcom if the UK blocks Grok under the Online Safety Act [1].
Jan 12, 2026 – Ofcom opens a formal investigation into X to assess compliance with UK content‑law duties, warning that breaches could trigger fines up to 10 % of global revenue and possible court orders blocking the platform [2][3].
Jan 12, 2026 – Alexander Sabar, director‑general of Indonesia’s digital space supervision, warns that Grok’s lack of safeguards could violate privacy and image rights when real photos are manipulated without consent [3].
Jan 12, 2026 – Elon Musk labels the UK’s stance on Grok “fascist,” accusing the government of stifling free speech amid mounting regulatory pressure [3].
Jan 12, 2026 – Indonesian user Kirana Ayuningtyas, a wheelchair‑bound woman, reports that a stranger used Grok to place her in a bikini, highlighting the personal harms of AI‑edited sexualised images and the difficulty of fully removing such content despite privacy‑setting changes and friend‑based reporting [1].
Future (2026 onward) – The UK government signals intent to introduce new rules criminalising the supply of non‑consensual nude images and to pursue penalties—including potential fines and access blocks—if Ofcom finds Grok in violation of online‑safety obligations [3].
External resources (3 links)
- https://mcmc.gov.my/en/media/press-releases/x-fails-to-implement-safeguards-mcmc-orders-tempo (cited 1 times)