In another face-off with Elon Musk–led X (formerly known as Twitter), the government has written to the platform warning it against hosting, generating, or uploading obscene, nude, indecent, or sexually explicit content through its AI-based services such as Grok and other xAI tools.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in a letter to X’s Chief Compliance Officer, directed the platform to comply with its statutory due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules. The ministry cautioned that non-compliance could lead to the loss of legal protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, making the platform liable for action under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The ministry also asked X to immediately undertake a detailed technical and governance-level review of Grok, including its prompt-processing systems, to ensure that the AI does not generate or promote sexually explicit or otherwise objectionable content.
In recent weeks, Elon Musk–led Grok AI has come under scrutiny for generating obscene images of women by digitally altering photographs and changing clothing. These incidents have drawn sharp reactions, including from Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who has written to Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking urgent action.
In a strongly worded letter, the ministry said it had observed that Grok AI was being misused by users, including through fake accounts, to host, generate, publish, or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory and vulgar manner, thereby indecently denigrating them. It added that such misuse is not limited to fake accounts but also targets women who share their own images or videos, which are then manipulated using prompts, image alteration, and synthetic outputs.
“Such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence technologies in violation of applicable laws,” the letter said.
The ministry also highlighted an advisory issued on 12 December 2025, under which all intermediaries were advised to immediately review their internal compliance frameworks, content moderation practices, and user enforcement mechanisms, and ensure strict and continuous adherence to the provisions of the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021.
Emphasising the IT Act, the ministry reiterated that hosting, generating, publishing, transmitting, sharing, or uploading obscene, nude, indecent, sexually explicit, vulgar, or paedophilic content, or any content that violates another person’s privacy—including bodily privacy—even through AI-enabled systems and tools, attracts serious penal consequences. Such violations are punishable under several laws, including Sections 66E, 67, 67A, and 67B of the IT Act, relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, and other applicable laws.