India orders X to remove obscene Grok-generated content and submit an action report

The Hindu
The Hindu
2h ago
India’s IT Ministry ordered X to remove vulgar and unlawful Grok-generated content and gave the platform time until January 7, 2026, to submit a detailed Action Taken Report.
India orders X to remove obscene Grok-generated content and submit an action report
A What happened
The government directed X to immediately remove vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially content generated through misuse of Grok, and warned of legal action for non-compliance. X sought additional time from the IT Ministry, and the government extended the deadline to submit a detailed Action Taken Report to January 7, 2026. X’s Safety account said it would act against illegal content including CSAM by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. The IT Ministry said Grok was being misused to create and share obscene images or videos of women through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs, and warned that failure to meet due diligence obligations could lead to loss of Section 79 safe-harbour protection and action under the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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Key insights

  • 1

    Safe-harbour protection tied to due diligence: The IT Ministry said Section 79 exemptions for intermediaries are conditional on strict observance of due diligence obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules, 2021.

  • 2

    Government demanded auditable compliance measures: The IT Ministry required ongoing, demonstrable and auditable compliance and a report detailing technical and organisational measures, compliance oversight, enforcement actions, and mandatory reporting mechanisms.

  • 3

    X said it would penalise illegal Grok prompts the same as illegal uploads: X’s Safety account said anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading illegal content.

Takeaways

X faced a government deadline of January 7, 2026, to report actions taken to remove unlawful Grok-related content and to demonstrate compliance with India’s IT Act and IT Rules, 2021.

Topics

Technology & Innovation Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Social Media World & Politics Policy & Regulation Human Rights

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