Malaysia moves to sue X over alleged misuse of Grok AI

Malaysia’s communications regulator has announced plans to take legal action against social media platform X, citing concerns over user safety linked to its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said it had found repeated cases of Grok being used to generate and circulate content that violated the country’s online safety and obscenity laws. The regulator said the material included obscene, sexually explicit and offensive images, as well as non-consensual manipulated content.

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The commission added that some of the content flagged involved women and minors, calling this a serious breach of Malaysian law and a failure to meet basic safety standards. According to the MCMC, notices were sent earlier this month to both X and xAI, the company behind Grok, asking for the removal of the harmful material. The regulator said no effective action was taken in response.

Grok, a generative AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk-led xAI and integrated into X, has faced growing scrutiny in multiple countries. Authorities in Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked access to the tool over the weekend, while regulators in the United Kingdom and France have also opened inquiries or lodged complaints related to its use.

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The Malaysian regulator said the alleged misuse of Grok went beyond acceptable limits, accusing the platform of allowing the spread of indecent, grossly offensive and non-consensual images. Under Malaysia’s strict online content rules, material considered obscene or pornographic is prohibited, along with content linked to child exploitation, online scams, gambling, cyberbullying and sensitive issues related to race, religion and the monarchy.