Jakarta: Indonesia has become the first country to block Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, citing concerns over the AI tool's ability to generate non-consensual pornographic deepfakes. The country's Communication and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya Hafid, stated that the government views such practices as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space.
According to reports, the ban is a result of growing global outrage over Grok's image creation feature, which has been exploited to produce sexualised images of women and children. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has reported instances of child sexual abuse imagery created using the AI tool.
The Indonesian government's decision is in line with its strict stance on online content, particularly regarding material deemed obscene. Minister Hafid stressed the need to protect women, children, and the public from the risks associated with AI-generated pornographic content.
Grok's image generation feature has been criticised for allowing users to create explicit content without adequate safeguards. Despite Elon Musk's assertion that users generating illegal content would face consequences, campaigners argue that the platform's restrictions do not go far enough.
The UK government is also considering banning X, the social media platform owned by Musk, over non-compliance with online safety laws. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has expressed her support for the media regulator's potential decision, stating that sexually manipulating images of women and children is "despicable and abhorrent".
The controversy surrounding Grok has gone global, with several countries like Malaysia and India taking steps to address the issue. The European Commission has also extended a retention order to X, requiring the platform to preserve documents related to Grok. The Indian government has also issued a notice to X and has sought responses over multiple complaints related to the generation of sexualised images of women and children.
Musk, on the other hand, has hit back at those criticising him and his X, accusing them of seeking to suppress free speech. However, campaigners and politicians stated that the restrictions on Grok's image generation feature are insufficient to address the harm caused by non-consensual deepfakes.
