X to remove illegal content, suspend accounts after Indian authorities step in

New Delhi, Jan 4: Microblogging site X will act against illegal content by removing it, permanently suspending accounts that uploaded the material and working with local governments as required, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform said, on Sunday.

The statement from the Global Government Affairs account of X was issued hours after it stated that people using the platform's AI service, Grok, to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content.

"Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk announced on X, in response to a post on "inappropriate images".

The statement came days after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) directed the Musk-owned platform to immediately take down vulgar, obscene and other unlawful content, particularly material generated using X’s artificial intelligence service, Grok.

Meity, in its order issued on January 2, instructed X to initiate action against offending content, users and accounts, and submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours. The ministry warned that failure to comply could invite action under applicable laws.

The government’s order cited concerns raised through public discourse and representations from parliamentary stakeholders that certain categories of content circulating on X were not in compliance with Indian laws relating to decency and obscenity.

Meity also flagged misuse of the Grok AI service, stating that users were allegedly creating fake accounts to generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory and vulgar manner.

The latest direction follows a December 29 advisory in which Meity asked social media intermediaries to review their compliance frameworks and act promptly against obscene and unlawful content, warning of prosecution for continued lapses.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had written to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking urgent intervention over increasing instances of Grok being misused to create and circulate vulgar images of women on social media.

The Global Government Affairs handle also shared a link for X rules, which allows sharing of "consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behaviour, provided it's properly labelled and not prominently displayed".

PTI