Indonesia lifts ban on Grok under tight supervision after X commits to compliance measures

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." 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.

Indonesia lets Elon Musk's Grok resume, lifting ban over sexualised images

JAKARTA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia has allowed Elon Musk's Grok chatbot to resume services, lifting a ban over sexualised images on the app, after X Corp committed to improving compliance with the country's laws, according to a government statement. Indonesia suspended Grok from operating in the Southeast Asian nation three weeks ago, citing the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool. The statement from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, seen by Reuters on Sunday, said the government was processing the resumption of access on "a conditional basis and under strict supervision". X and xAI, which operates Grok, did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment outside business hours. Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned sexualised content generated by Grok and some have opened inquiries. "The normalisation of access to Grok services is being carried out conditionally after X Corp submitted a written commitment containing concrete steps for service improvement and prevention of abuse. This commitment is the basis for evaluation, not the end of the supervision process," senior ministry official Alexander Sabar said in the statement. He added that X had implemented a number of "layered" measures to address the misuse of Grok services, and that these would be continuously verified. Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati in Jakarta; Editing by William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Indonesia lets Elon Musk's Grok back online under tight supervision

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia allowed Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to resume operations in the country on a conditional basis and under strict supervision, weeks after banning it for explicit sexual content. Musk's social platform X Corp made a written commitment to service improvements and compliance with applicable laws, the communications ministry said in a statement Sunday. The company told the ministry it had taken steps to address the misuse of Grok services, including restricting access to certain features, according to the statement. Indonesia and Malaysia were the first two countries that blocked access to Grok in January over concerns it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images. Malaysian authorities lifted the temporary restriction after the company took security and preventive measures. Malaysian regulators said they met last week with X's representatives and would continue to monitor the situation. The normalization of Grok's operations in Indonesia was not unconditional, said Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space supervision. He added that the steps X claims to have taken will be verified and tested by Indonesian authorities to ensure they prevent violations, including the distribution of illegal content and violations of child protection principles. "If inconsistencies or further violations are found in its implementation, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs will not hesitate to take corrective action, including suspending access to services again," Sabar said.

Indonesia lets Elon Musk's Grok resume, lifting ban over sexualized images

Indonesia has allowed Elon Musk's Grok chatbot to resume services, lifting a ban over sexualised images on the app, after X Corp committed to improving compliance with the country's laws, according to a government statement. Indonesia suspended Grok from operating in the Southeast Asian nation three weeks ago, citing the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool. The statement from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, seen by Reuters on Sunday, said the government was processing the resumption of access on "a conditional basis and under strict supervision." X and xAI, which operates Grok, did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment outside business hours. Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned sexualised content generated by Grok and some have opened inquiries. "The normalization of access to Grok services is being carried out conditionally after X Corp submitted a written commitment containing concrete steps for service improvement and prevention of abuse. This commitment is the basis for evaluation, not the end of the supervision process," senior ministry official Alexander Sabar said in the statement. He added that X had implemented a number of "layered" measures to address the misuse of Grok services, and that these would be continuously verified.

Indonesia is lifting its ban on Grok, but with some conditions

Grok is once again available in Indonesia, after the country lifted its ban on the AI chatbot that was seen generating millions of sexualized deepfakes, thousands of which included children. The country's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs released a statement earlier today, which said X is allowed to resume service in Indonesia but will be subject to monitoring for any future violations. According to the Indonesian government agency, X provided a letter that detailed several implemented measures that prevent the misuse of its Grok chatbot. Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space supervision, said in the statement that the agency will test the new measures on an ongoing basis and will ban Grok again if it's found spreading illegal content or violating the country's laws regarding children. The issue dates back to earlier this year, when Indonesia, along with Malaysia and the Philippines, banned the AI chatbot after it was found producing sexually explicit deepfake images of women and children without their consent in response to user requests. Later that month, the Philippines lifted its ban on Grok, followed by Malaysia doing the same just a couple of days after. Similar to Indonesia, Malaysian authorities said they will continue to monitor Grok and threatened more enforcement actions if the AI chatbot repeats its past offenses. Beyond the bans, Grok is also facing investigations from California's attorney general and the UK's media regulator concerning the same issue.

Indonesia conditionally lifts ban on xAI's Grok chatbot

Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has conditionally lifted its ban on xAI's chatbot Grok after X sent a letter outlining concrete steps for service improvements and the prevention of misuse. The decision follows bans imposed by Southeast Asian countries due to Grok generating nonconsensual sexualized images on X, an xAI subsidiary. The bans stemmed from Grok's use in creating a flood of sexualized imagery, including depictions of real women and minors. Separate analyses by The New York Times and the Center for Countering Digital Hate determined that at least 1.8 million such images of women were generated in late December and January. In its statement, the ministry specified that the ban lift is conditional. Alexander Sabar, director general of digital space monitoring, stated the measure could be reinstated if further violations are discovered. Malaysia and the Philippines had lifted their bans on January 23. Grok's deepfakes have prompted worldwide criticism and investigations, though outright bans remain limited. In the United States, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his office's investigation into xAI and issued a cease-and-desist letter ordering the company to take immediate action to end production of these images. xAI has restricted Grok's capabilities in response. The AI image-generation feature is now limited to paying subscribers on X. xAI CEO Elon Musk addressed the issue, stating, "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." Musk added that he is "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok."

Indonesia lets Elon Musk's Grok back online under tight supervision

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia allowed Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to resume operations in the country on a conditional basis and under strict supervision, weeks after banning it for explicit sexual content. Musk's social platform X Corp made a written commitment to service improvements and compliance with applicable laws, the communications ministry said in a statement Sunday. The company told the ministry it had taken steps to address the misuse of Grok services, including restricting access to certain features, according to the statement. Indonesia and Malaysia were the first two countries that blocked access to Grok in January over concerns it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images. Malaysian authorities lifted the temporary restriction after the company took security and preventive measures. Malaysian regulators said they met last week with X's representatives and would continue to monitor the situation. The normalization of Grok's operations in Indonesia was not unconditional, said Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space supervision. He added that the steps X claims to have taken will be verified and tested by Indonesian authorities to ensure they prevent violations, including the distribution of illegal content and violations of child protection principles. "If inconsistencies or further violations are found in its implementation, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs will not hesitate to take corrective action, including suspending access to services again," Sabar said.

Indonesia Lets Elon Musk's Grok Back Online Under Tight Supervision

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia allowed Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to resume operations in the country on a conditional basis and under strict supervision, weeks after banning it for explicit sexual content. Musk's social platform X Corp made a written commitment to service improvements and compliance with applicable laws, the communications ministry said in a statement Sunday. The company told the ministry it had taken steps to address the misuse of Grok services, including restricting access to certain features, according to the statement. Indonesia and Malaysia were the first two countries that blocked access to Grok in January over concerns it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images. Malaysian authorities lifted the temporary restriction after the company took security and preventive measures. Malaysian regulators said they met last week with X's representatives and would continue to monitor the situation. The normalization of Grok's operations in Indonesia was not unconditional, said Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space supervision. He added that the steps X claims to have taken will be verified and tested by Indonesian authorities to ensure they prevent violations, including the distribution of illegal content and violations of child protection principles. "If inconsistencies or further violations are found in its implementation, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs will not hesitate to take corrective action, including suspending access to services again," Sabar said.