EU Investigates Elon Musk’s Social Media Platform X Over Deepfake Content
The European Union has initiated a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, in response to alleged deepfakes featuring nude images of women and children, created by the company’s AI chatbot, Grok.
The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, announced the investigation on Monday. Musk’s technology firm is thought to have breached the Digital Services Act, which mandates that platforms like X prevent the distribution of manipulated and sexually explicit imagery, especially involving child sexual abuse material.
“Deepfake pornography involving women and children is both violent and a degrading abuse,” stated Hena Virkunen, Vice-President for Technology at the European Commission.
“This investigation will assess if Company X has met its obligations under the DSA and whether it has disregarded the rights of European individuals, particularly women and children, in its operations.”
The investigation was sparked by suspicions surrounding the “dissemination of illegal content, the potential for gender-based violence, and serious adverse effects on physical and mental health linked to Grok’s features on the platform.”
EU officials cautioned that Company X might face fines of up to 6% of its annual global revenue if violations are confirmed.
Last year, Musk’s Grok AI bot drew public outrage as the X app became inundated with manipulated images of women, altered to show them in bikinis or lingerie, despite the originals depicting them fully clothed.
Users could make such changes without prior consent, which raised significant concerns. Researcher Genevieve Oh analyzed Grok’s activity, estimating that it generated around 7,750 sexually suggestive or “nude” images every hour.
Ashley St. Clair, a social media influencer and mother to one of Musk’s children, has filed a lawsuit against xAI, the firm behind Grok. In her complaint, she asserted that the bots created deepfake images of her child and retaliated by disrupting her earnings on X when she addressed the harassment.
This month, Musk’s company took steps to limit the creation of deepfakes by Grok, indicating that “image generation and editing is currently restricted to paid members.”
Musk also commented that users generating illegal content through Grok should “face similar consequences” as if they had directly uploaded such material.
As concerns around deepfakes escalate, regulators outside the EU have begun scrutinizing Grok as well. In the UK, Ofcom has launched a formal investigation, echoing worries raised in Europe about sexually explicit and potentially illegal imagery.
Authorities in Australia, France, and Germany have also commenced investigations into Grok amid collective international concern regarding the controversy surrounding sexual deepfakes.
Despite varying regulatory frameworks, officials across different nations have expressed similar worries about Grok’s capacity to produce and disseminate non-consensual sexual images, including those involving minors.
On the state level in the United States, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has also announced an investigation.
In Asia, regulators have acted decisively, with Indonesia and Malaysia imposing temporary bans on Grok, although Malaysia has since lifted its restrictions.
No representative for Musk was available for comment at the time of this report.
