Indonesia officially blocks Grok as AI deepfake scrutiny intensifies across markets

Indonesia has officially blocked access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI and integrated into social media platform X, citing concerns over the production and spread of non-consensual sexual deepfake content.

The move, implemented by the ministry of communication and digital affairs (Komdigi), positions Indonesia alongside Malaysia as the first countries to restrict access to the tool, as global regulators intensify scrutiny over generative AI safeguards and platform accountability.

Minister Meutya Hafid said the decision was taken to protect women, children and the wider public from the risks posed by AI-generated fake pornography. “The government sees nonconsensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the safety of citizens in the digital space,” she said in an official statement dated 10 January 2026.

Don't miss: Malaysia blocks Grok AI over sexual content and misuse

Komdigi said it had also summoned X to provide clarification regarding the negative impacts arising from Grok’s use on the platform.

Safeguards under the spotlight

The temporary suspension is based on Komdigi’s regulatory authority under Ministerial Regulation No. 5 of 2020 on Private Electronic System Operators. The regulation requires platforms to ensure that their systems do not host, facilitate or distribute prohibited electronic content.

The decision follows earlier public statements from Komdigi regarding Grok’s alleged use in producing and disseminating explicit content involving manipulated images of real individuals.

Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space supervision, said preliminary findings indicated that Grok lacks adequate controls to prevent the creation and spread of pornographic content based on real photographs of Indonesian citizens. “This risks serious violations of citizens’ privacy and self-image rights,” he said.

For marketers and platform operators, the move underscores growing regulatory expectations that AI-powered tools must embed robust content moderation and safety-by-design principles, particularly as image generation becomes more accessible and realistic.

Regional and global pressure builds

Malaysia followed Indonesia’s decision within a day, with its communications and multimedia commission citing “repeated misuse” of Grok to generate obscene, sexually explicit and non-consensual manipulated images, including content involving women and minors. The regulator said notices had been issued to X Corp. and xAI demanding stronger safeguards.

“The restriction is imposed as a preventive and proportionate measure while legal and regulatory processes are ongoing,” the Malaysian regulator said.

Beyond Southeast Asia, Grok is also facing mounting pressure in major markets including the European Union, India, France and the UK. Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into whether Grok breached laws designed to protect users from illegal content, including child sexual abuse material.

Technology secretary Liz Kendall described AI-generated sexualised images as “weapons of abuse” and said the UK government is moving to criminalise tools that enable the creation of nude images without consent. She warned that X could face fines of up to 10% of its qualifying global revenue, alongside potential court orders restricting access to the platform.

Launched in 2023, Grok is free to use on X, with its image-generation feature, Grok Imagine, introduced last year. While xAI has recently limited image generation and editing to paying users following a global backlash, critics argue the measures fall short of addressing systemic risks.

An emailed request for comment to xAI by The Associated Press received an automated response stating, “Legacy Media Lies,” reflecting growing tension between the company and traditional media outlets.

The episode highlights a widening trust gap around generative AI, particularly when tools are embedded within high-reach social platforms. As regulators move from observation to enforcement, the Grok case may serve as an early signal of how quickly AI experimentation can turn into regulatory intervention when safeguards lag behind scale.

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