Ireland launches EU privacy investigation into Grok AI over nonconsensual deepfake images

Ireland opens probe into Musk's Grok AI over sexualised images

DUBLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into X's AI chatbot Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children. The DPC is the lead EU regulator for X because the U.S. company's European Union operations are based in Ireland. It can levy fines of up to 4% of a company's global revenue under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The decision to begin the inquiry was notified to X on Monday, the DPC said in a statement and its purpose was to determine whether X had complied with its obligations under GDPR with regard to the personal data processed. Grok flooded X last month with AI-altered, near-nude images of real people in response to user requests, triggering widespread global outrage and investigations. X announced curbs to stop Grok's account on the platform from producing such images, but the Grok chatbot continued to do so when prompted, Reuters found earlier this month. U.S. President Donald Trump and other members of his administration have criticised EU regulation of U.S. tech companies and described fines imposed on them by the 27-member bloc as a form of taxation. X's owner, Elon Musk, who is the world's richest man, has also expressed his objections to EU regulations, mainly those imposed directly by Brussels on online content. "The DPC has been engaging with XIUC (X Internet Unlimited Company) since media reports first emerged a number of weeks ago concerning the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualised images of real people, including children", said Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle. "As the Lead Supervisory Authority for XIUC across the EU/EEA, the DPC has commenced a large-scale inquiry, " Doyle said, adding that this would examine XIUC's compliance with some of its "fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand". The European Commission opened an investigation on January 26 into whether Grok disseminates illegal content such as manipulated sexualised images in the EU. And on February 3, Britain's privacy watchdog launched a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video content. Reporting by Graham Fahy; editing by William James and Alexander Smith Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Grok faces more scrutiny over deepfakes as Irish regulator opens EU privacy investigation

LONDON (AP) -- Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland's data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation EU's strict data privacy regulations, adding to the scrutiny X is facing in Europe and other parts of the world over Grok's behavior. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children. The company later introduced some restrictions on Grok, though authorities in Europe weren't satisfied. The Irish watchdog said its investigation focuses on the apparent creation and posting on X of "potentially harmful" nonconsensual intimate or sexualized images containing or involving personal data from Europeans, including children. X did not respond to a request for comment. Grok was built by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and is available through X, where its responses to user requests are publicly visible for others to see. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc's privacy rules because X's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Violations can result in hefty fines. The regulator "has been engaging" with X since media reports started circulating weeks earlier about "the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a press statement. Earlier this month, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X. The platform is already facing a separate EU investigation from Brussels over whether it has been complying with the bloc's digital rulebook for protecting social media users that requires platforms to curb the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material.

Grok faces more scrutiny over deepfakes as Irish regulator opens EU privacy investigation

LONDON (AP) -- Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland's data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation EU's strict data privacy regulations, adding to the scrutiny X is facing in Europe and other parts of the world over Grok's behavior. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children. The company later introduced some restrictions on Grok, though authorities in Europe weren't satisfied. The Irish watchdog said its investigation focuses on the apparent creation and posting on X of "potentially harmful" nonconsensual intimate or sexualized images containing or involving personal data from Europeans, including children. X did not respond to a request for comment. Grok was built by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and is available through X, where its responses to user requests are publicly visible for others to see. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc's privacy rules because X's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Violations can result in hefty fines. The regulator "has been engaging" with X since media reports started circulating weeks earlier about "the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a press statement. Earlier this month, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X. The platform is already facing a separate EU investigation from Brussels over whether it has been complying with the bloc's digital rulebook for protecting social media users that requires platforms to curb the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material.

Grok Faces More Scrutiny Over Deepfakes as Irish Regulator Opens EU Privacy Investigation

LONDON (AP) -- Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland's data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation EU's strict data privacy regulations, adding to the scrutiny X is facing in Europe and other parts of the world over Grok's behavior. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children. The company later introduced some restrictions on Grok, though authorities in Europe weren't satisfied. The Irish watchdog said its investigation focuses on the apparent creation and posting on X of "potentially harmful" nonconsensual intimate or sexualized images containing or involving personal data from Europeans, including children. X did not respond to a request for comment. Grok was built by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and is available through X, where its responses to user requests are publicly visible for others to see. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc's privacy rules because X's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Violations can result in hefty fines. The regulator "has been engaging" with X since media reports started circulating weeks earlier about "the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a press statement. Earlier this month, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X. The platform is already facing a separate EU investigation from Brussels over whether it has been complying with the bloc's digital rulebook for protecting social media users that requires platforms to curb the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material.

Grok faces more scrutiny over deepfakes as Irish regulator opens EU privacy investigation - The Korea Times

LONDON -- Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland's data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation EU's strict data privacy regulations, adding to the scrutiny X is facing in Europe and other parts of the world over Grok's behavior. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children. The company later introduced some restrictions on Grok, though authorities in Europe weren't satisfied. The Irish watchdog said its investigation focuses on the apparent creation and posting on X of "potentially harmful" nonconsensual intimate or sexualized images containing or involving personal data from Europeans, including children. X did not respond to a request for comment. Grok was built by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and is available through X, where its responses to user requests are publicly visible for others to see. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc's privacy rules because X's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Violations can result in hefty fines. The regulator "has been engaging" with X since media reports started circulating weeks earlier about "the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a press statement. Earlier this month, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X. The platform is already facing a separate EU investigation from Brussels over whether it has been complying with the bloc's digital rulebook for protecting social media users that requires platforms to curb the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material.

Grok faces more scrutiny over deepfakes as Irish regulator opens EU privacy investigation

LONDON -- Elon Musk's social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland's data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation EU's strict data privacy regulations, adding to the scrutiny X is facing in Europe and other parts of the world over Grok's behaviour. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children. The company later introduced some restrictions on Grok, though authorities in Europe weren't satisfied. The Irish watchdog said its investigation focuses on the apparent creation and posting on X of "potentially harmful" nonconsensual intimate or sexualized images containing or involving personal data from Europeans, including children. X did not respond to a request for comment. Grok was built by Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and is available through X, where its responses to user requests are publicly visible for others to see. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc's privacy rules because X's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Violations can result in hefty fines. The regulator "has been engaging" with X since media reports started circulating weeks earlier about "the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a press statement. Earlier this month, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X. The platform is already facing a separate EU investigation from Brussels over whether it has been complying with the bloc's digital rulebook for protecting social media users that requires platforms to curb the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material.

Ireland opens probe into Musk's Grok AI over sexualised images

DUBLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into X's AI chatbot Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children. The DPC is the lead EU regulator for X because the U.S. company's European Union operations are based in Ireland. It can levy fines of up to 4% of a company's global revenue under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The decision to begin the inquiry was notified to X on Monday, the DPC said in a statement and its purpose was to determine whether X had complied with its obligations under GDPR with regard to the personal data processed. Grok flooded X last month with AI-altered, near-nude images of real people in response to user requests, triggering widespread global outrage and investigations. X announced curbs to stop Grok's account on the platform from producing such images, but the Grok chatbot continued to do so when prompted, Reuters found earlier this month. U.S. President Donald Trump and other members of his administration have criticised EU regulation of U.S. tech companies and described fines imposed on them by the 27-member bloc as a form of taxation. X's owner, Elon Musk, who is the world's richest man, has also expressed his objections to EU regulations, mainly those imposed directly by Brussels on online content. "The DPC has been engaging with XIUC (X Internet Unlimited Company) since media reports first emerged a number of weeks ago concerning the alleged ability of X users to prompt the @Grok account on X to generate sexualised images of real people, including children", said Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle. "As the Lead Supervisory Authority for XIUC across the EU/EEA, the DPC has commenced a large-scale inquiry, " Doyle said, adding that this would examine XIUC's compliance with some of its "fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand". The European Commission opened an investigation on January 26 into whether Grok disseminates illegal content such as manipulated sexualised images in the EU. And on February 3, Britain's privacy watchdog launched a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video content. (Reporting by Graham Fahy; editing by William James and Alexander Smith)