Democrats ask Apple and Google to remove X’s undressing bot from their app stores


Apple and Google are being dragged into the uproar around X’s AI chatbot that has continued to virtually undress women in images without their consent this week.

In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote that “X’s generation of these harmful and likely illegal depictions of women and children has shown complete disregard for your stores’ distribution terms.” X users have identified several cases where Grok undressed or sexualized apparent minors in the AI-created images.

The senators point to the app stores’ own policies for why the app should be removed. Google’s terms of service say that apps are subject to removal if they fail to bar users from “creating, uploading, or distributing content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children” or portray kids “in a manner that could result in the sexual exploitation of children.” Apple prohibits apps that are “offensive” or “just plain creepy.” Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether X was in compliance with their policies and whether they planned to remove the app.

Failing to remove X from the app stores would both show a double standard, and undermine the companies’ arguments for their control over the app stores in the first place, the lawmakers write. Both companies removed ICEBlock and Red Dot from their stores following government pressure. The apps were used to anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. “Unlike Grok’s sickening content generation, these apps were not creating or hosting harmful or illegal content, and yet, based entirely on the Administration’s claims that they posed a risk to immigration enforcers, you removed them from your stores,” the senators wrote.

They also warned that inaction would “undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones. This principle has been core to your advocacy against legislative reforms to increase app store competition and your defenses to claims that your app stores abuse their market power through their payment systems.”



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Allbirds goes from shoes to AI

    So a shoe company turned into an AI company…. That’s it, that’s the joke. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget’s Daniel Cooper about Allbirds’ sudden transformation and what it…

    How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history

    That has changed. The machines are yet unbuilt, but the money is flowing: Companies and investors put $6.1 billion into humanoid robots in 2025 alone, four times what was invested…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses are…

    Stellantis, Microsoft sign 5-year partnership for AI push

    Stellantis, Microsoft sign 5-year partnership for AI push

    U.K.’s Starmer faces calls to quit over Mandelson security vet. Here’s why – National

    U.K.’s Starmer faces calls to quit over Mandelson security vet. Here’s why – National

    Texas Restaurant Owners Call for Work Permits as Immigration Crackdown Strains Industry

    World Cup winner Kildunne reveals body dysmorphia struggle

    World Cup winner Kildunne reveals body dysmorphia struggle

    Why did Michelin snub St Paul in its guide to the best restaurants in the Great Lakes region? | Minnesota

    Why did Michelin snub St Paul in its guide to the best restaurants in the Great Lakes region? | Minnesota