Indonesia ‘conditionally’ lifts ban on Grok


Indonesia has followed Malaysia and the Philippines in lifting a ban on xAI’s chatbot Grok.

The Southeast Asian countries banned Grok after it was used to create a flood of nonconsensual, sexualized imagery on X (now a subsidiary of xAI), including images of real women and minors. In late December and January, Grok was used to create at least 1.8 million sexualized images of women, according to separate analyses by The New York Times and the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

In a statement, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said that it was lifting the ban after X sent a letter “outlining concrete steps for service improvements and the prevention of misuse” (translation via The New York Times). 

Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space monitoring, said the ban is only being lifted “conditionally” and could be reinstated if “further violations are discovered.”

Malaysia and the Philippines lifted their bans on January 23.

Grok’s deepfakes have spurred criticism and investigations — but only a few outright bans — from governments around the world. In the United States, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office was investigating xAI and had sent a cease-and-desist letter ordering the company to take immediate action to end the production of these images.

xAI appears to have taken some steps to restrict Grok’s capabilities, including limiting its AI image generation feature to paying subscribers on X. CEO Elon Musk has insisted, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content” and said he is “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok.”

Techcrunch event

Boston, MA
|
June 23, 2026

Documents released by the Justice Department on Friday around the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein include at least 16 emails between Musk and Epstein in 2012 and 2013, with Musk asking to visit Epstein’s Caribbean island and wondering about the “wildest party on your island.” Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring an underage girl for prostitution in 2008.

xAI, meanwhile, is reportedly in talks to merge with two of Musk’s other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, ahead of a SpaceX IPO.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Patriots vs. Seahawks time, where to watch and more

    The 2026 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will air on NBC this Sunday, Feb. 8. The game will also stream on Peacock. If you…

    An experimental surgery is helping cancer survivors give birth

    It seems to work! Last week, a team in Switzerland shared news that a baby boy had been born after his mother had the procedure. Baby Lucien was the fifth baby…

    Leave a Reply

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

    You Missed

    Labour thinktank close to Morgan McSweeney ‘paid firm to investigate journalists’ | Labour

    Labour thinktank close to Morgan McSweeney ‘paid firm to investigate journalists’ | Labour

    Loyola Chicago vs. Davidson prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 college basketball picks from proven model

    Loyola Chicago vs. Davidson prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 college basketball picks from proven model

    Where to find Cooling Coils in Arc Raiders

    Where to find Cooling Coils in Arc Raiders

    Patriots vs. Seahawks time, where to watch and more

    Patriots vs. Seahawks time, where to watch and more

    Should Toronto police be part of the probe into corruption in their own ranks?

    Should Toronto police be part of the probe into corruption in their own ranks?

    Putin being briefed after top Russian general shot in Moscow, Kremlin says – Europe live | Russia

    Putin being briefed after top Russian general shot in Moscow, Kremlin says – Europe live | Russia