India Issues Notice to X Over Grok AI Abuse Targeting Women, Children
New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has issued a stern notice to X, raising alarm over alleged violations of statutory due diligence norms linked to the misuse of its AI chatbot, Grok.
In the notice, MeitY said it has detected widespread misuse of Grok to generate and circulate obscene, sexually explicit and derogatory material, with women and children emerging as primary targets. Terming the trend a grave breach of dignity, privacy and digital safety, the ministry warned that failure to act swiftly could invite stringent legal consequences.
🚨 #NewsAlert | The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a formal notice to X, flagging serious lapses in statutory due diligence under the IT Act and IT Rules.
The govt has raised concerns over the misuse of the platform’s AI tool, Grok, to… pic.twitter.com/2U31vtE4Ga
— United News of India (@uniindianews) January 2, 2026
The Centre has directed X to immediately remove and disable access to “obscene, nude, indecent and sexually explicit content” generated through AI tools, invoking provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021. The platform has also been asked to carry out a comprehensive review of Grok’s functioning and governance mechanisms.
In a letter to X’s Chief Compliance Officer, the ministry said it was “especially observed” that Grok, integrated into the platform, is being exploited to create fake accounts that host, generate and circulate vulgar and derogatory images or videos of women. Such activity, MeitY said, reflects a serious breakdown of platform-level safeguards and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence in violation of Indian law.
The government has instructed X to urgently overhaul Grok’s technical design, take action against offending users, purge all unlawful content and submit an Action Taken Report within 72 hours. MeitY cautioned that continued non-compliance could result in the withdrawal of safe harbour protections under the IT Act and trigger action under multiple cyber, criminal and child protection laws.
The notice follows a formal complaint by Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who wrote to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking urgent intervention.
In her representation, Chaturvedi flagged what she described as a disturbing new trend on X, alleging that men are misusing Grok to digitally manipulate photographs of women. According to her, fake accounts are being created to upload images of women and prompt the AI tool to reduce clothing and sexualise them.
Calling the practice unacceptable and criminal, Chaturvedi said it violates women’s right to privacy and involves unauthorised use of their images. Writing in her capacity as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and Communications, she urged the government to act firmly and ensure robust safeguards are built into AI applications.
“India cannot remain a bystander while women’s dignity is violated publicly and digitally under the garb of creativity and innovation,” she warned.
