The United Kingdom government has called upon the media regulator Ofcom to utilize its full range of powers, potentially including an effective ban, against Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
This severe directive follows a growing backlash regarding the platform’s AI tool, Grok, which has reportedly been used to generate unlawful non-consensual deepfake images, including those stripping clothing from adults and potentially creating sexualized imagery of children.
Okay News reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the content as “disgraceful” and “unlawful,” asserting that the regulator has full government support to take robust action. Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has the authority to request a High Court order that would prevent third-party companies from facilitating X’s operations or providing advertising revenue, effectively blocking the platform’s access in the UK.
In response to the escalating controversy, Ofcom confirmed it has established “urgent contact” with X and its AI subsidiary to investigate the safety breaches.
While X has stated that users prompting Grok to generate illegal content will face strict consequences, the regulator is facing mounting pressure to bypass standard investigation timelines due to the serious risks posed to child safety and privacy.
