Elon Musk has dismissed UK government threats to ban his platform X as an attack on free speech, even as ministers warn of severe consequences for the site’s safety failures. The controversy erupted after it was revealed that X’s Grok AI was being used to generate deepfake pornography involving women and children. Seemingly unfazed, Musk boasted that Grok had become the most downloaded app on the UK App Store during the height of the scandal.
The misuse of Grok has been described as a significant safety crisis. Users were able to upload photos of fully clothed individuals, which the AI then altered to show them in swimwear or in abusive, sexually explicit contexts. The generation of such images without consent, particularly those involving minors, poses a severe legal risk and has drawn widespread condemnation from victim advocacy groups.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall made it clear that the government is prepared to use “backstop powers” to shut down access to X if necessary. She stated that Ofcom is investigating the matter and will likely announce punitive actions shortly. Kendall’s comments reflect a zero-tolerance approach to platforms that fail to prevent the dissemination of illegal content.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in on the issue, describing the exploitation of generative AI as “abhorrent.” He criticized the lack of responsibility shown by tech giants. Conversely, some UK politicians, such as Liz Truss, have framed the potential ban as a failure of the government to respect free expression, highlighting the deep political divide over online regulation.
X has attempted to mitigate the fallout by removing image generation capabilities for non-paying users. However, the feature remains available to premium subscribers, and the broader issue of “nudification” technology persists. MPs are now calling for urgent legislative action to ban these apps and to hold platforms accountable for the content they host and advertise.
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