Technology Secretary threatens to block UK access to X over Grok deepfakes

The Technology Secretary has said he will support Ofcom to effectively block Elon Musk’s social media site X if it fails to comply with UK law due to concerns about deepfakes.

The regulator said it carried out an “expedited assessment” after X and XAi made urgent contact on Monday.

It comes after Downing Street said changes to chatbot Grok were “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.

X faced backlash following reports that the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot encouraged its users to create sexualized images of people, including children.

People who make such requests are now told that only paid subscribers can do so; This means their name and payment information must be on file.

Technology Minister Liz Kendall said: “The sexual manipulation of women and children is despicable and disgusting.

“It is an insult and completely unacceptable for Grok to allow this to happen if you are prepared to pay the price for it. “I expect Ofcom to use all the statutory powers that Parliament has given them.

“I, and importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom’s update on next steps within days, not weeks.”

“I would like to remind XAI that the Online Safety Act includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK if they refuse to comply with UK law.

“If Ofcom decides to use these powers it will have our full support.”

An Ofcom spokesman said: “We contacted urgently on Monday and set a firm deadline for comment today, to which we have received a response.

“We are currently conducting an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly.”

Ofcom has the power to fine businesses up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue and take criminal action under the Online Safety Act.

It can also order payment providers, advertisers, and internet service providers to stop working with a site, effectively banning it, but this requires approval from the courts.

Ms Kendall also highlighted plans to ban nudity practices under the Crime and Policing Bill passed by Parliament, and said powers to criminalize the creation of intimate images without consent would come into force in the coming weeks.

No 10 has previously said the changes will make creating deepfakes a “premium service”.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the changes to Grok “transform an AI feature that enables the creation of illegal images into a world-class service”.

“This is not a solution. In fact, it is an insult to victims of misogyny and sexual violence,” she said.

“This proves that X can move quickly whenever he wants.”

He added: “If another media company had billboards in city centers featuring illegal images, it would have taken immediate action to remove them or face public backlash.”

Two committees of MPs have written to Ofcom about the issue and requested a response by January 16.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee said the step taken by X was “incompatible with the seriousness of the problem”.

Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said Ofcom should “start issuing these fines”, telling Times Radio: “All this has effectively done is turn perverts into paying customers of X.”

The Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has called for a clear timeline for when the Government’s planned ban on nudification tools will be introduced and raised concerns about loopholes in the Online Safety Act when it comes to generative AI.

Its chairman, Dame Chi Onwurah, said: “My committee warned last year that the Online Safety Act was riddled with loopholes, including its failure to clearly regulate productive artificial intelligence.

“The latest reports on these deepfakes show most clearly how UK citizens are exposed to harm online while social media companies operate with apparent impunity.”

He asked Ofcom why it had not launched an investigation or imposed sanctions yet.

The Liberal Democrats called on Ofcom to immediately block X from operating in the UK and for the National Crime Agency to launch a criminal investigation into the site.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith, meanwhile, rejected the idea of ​​boycotting or banning X, telling the Press Association: “You have to be where the debate is, it’s all social media.”

US congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna from Florida has threatened to introduce legislation that would sanction Sir Keir and “the UK as a whole” if the UK bans X.

In response, Sir Keir’s spokesman said the Government was focused on stopping the creation of illegal images on the site.

An internet safety organization said its analysts confirmed the existence of “incriminating images of children” aged between 11 and 13 that appear to have been created using Grok.

Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said: “We don’t believe it’s good enough to simply limit access to a tool that should never have been capable of creating the kinds of images we’ve seen in recent days.

“Companies must ensure that the products they produce and provide to the global public are safe by design.

“If this means governments and regulators need to force them to design safer vehicles, then that’s what needs to happen. It’s unacceptable to sit back and wait for unsafe products to be abused before taking action.”

Mr Musk has previously insisted that “anyone using Grok to create illegal content will be subject to the same consequences as if they had uploaded illegal content”.

X said it would take action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, “by removing such content, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement where necessary.”