This extension followed X’s request for additional time from the IT Ministry, as reported by PTI.
On Sunday, X’s ‘Safety’ handle announced its intention to tackle illegal content on the platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing such content, permanently suspending accounts, and collaborating with local governments and law enforcement as needed.
“Anyone utilizing or instructing Grok to create illegal content will face the same repercussions as if they personally uploaded illegal content,” it stated, echoing Musk’s stance on illegal content.
Government sources indicated that X had sought further time, which has now culminated in the request to submit its report by January 7.
The Centre reprimanded X on Friday, mandating the immediate removal of all vulgar, obscene, and unlawful content, particularly that generated by Grok (X’s in-house artificial intelligence interface), or face legal consequences. The ministry also instructed the US-based social media firm to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours of the directive, effectively by January 5.
The IT Ministry highlighted in its January 2 communication that Grok AI, created by X and integrated into the platform, is being misused by users to create fake accounts aimed at hosting, generating, publishing, or sharing obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar way.
“This misuse extends beyond the creation of fake accounts and targets women who host or share their images or videos, utilizing prompts, image manipulation, and synthetic outputs,” the ministry stated, emphasizing that such actions reveal a serious failure in platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, constituting a gross misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in violation of existing laws.
The ministry asserted that the regulatory provisions under the IT Act and associated rules are being violated by the platform, especially concerning obscene, indecent, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic, or other unlawful or harmful content.
“The aforementioned acts and omissions are taken with serious concern, as they infringe upon the dignity, privacy, and safety of women and children, normalizing sexual harassment and exploitation in digital environments, and undermining the statutory due diligence framework applicable to intermediaries operating in India,” the IT Ministry stated.
The government was explicit with X that adherence to the IT Act and rules is mandatory, clarifying that the statutory exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act (relating to safe harbor and immunity from liability for online intermediaries) are conditional upon strict compliance with due diligence obligations.
“Consequently, you are instructed to strictly refrain from hosting, displaying, uploading, publishing, transmitting, storing, or sharing any content on your platform that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law…,” the ministry advised on January 2.
The government warned X unequivocally that any failure to fulfill due diligence obligations could lead to the loss of exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, and the platform would also face potential actions under other applicable laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The platform has been instructed to enforce user terms of service and AI usage restrictions, ensuring strong deterrent measures such as suspension, termination, and other enforcement actions against violating users and accounts.
X has also been directed to remove or disable access “without delay” to all content that has already been generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws, in strict compliance with the timelines established under the IT Rules, 2021, without compromising any evidence.
The ministry has mandated X to submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) within 72 hours of the issuance of the aforementioned letter.
The ATR should encompass specific technical and organizational measures adopted or proposed concerning the Grok application; the role and oversight exercised by the Chief Compliance Officer; actions taken against infringing content, users, and accounts; as well as mechanisms to ensure adherence to the mandatory reporting requirements under Indian laws.
“…ensure ongoing, demonstrable, and auditable compliance with all due diligence obligations under the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021; otherwise, appropriate action may be initiated, including the loss of exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act and related actions as provided under any law including the IT Act and the BNS,” the ministry indicated.
Apart from India, the platform has also faced criticism from authorities in the UK and Malaysia. Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, stated in a recent social media post: “We are aware of serious concerns regarding a Grok feature on X that produces undressed images of individuals and sexualized images of children”.
“We have urgently contacted X and xAI to understand what measures they have taken to fulfill their legal obligations to protect users in the UK. Based on their response, we will swiftly assess whether there are potential compliance issues that may warrant investigation,” Ofcom concluded.
