Indonesia and Malaysia suspend access to Grok over deepfake concerns

Access to Grok, the xAI chatbot, has been cut off for users in Indonesia and Malaysia after regulators said the chatbot's safeguards were ineffective. Both countries issued temporary suspensions intended to remain in effect until xAI implements safeguards that comply with regulators' demands.

"The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space," Indonesia’s minister of communications and digital affairs Meutya Hafid wrote in a statement released Saturday.

Indonesia has sweeping internet censorship laws governing content deemed "obscene." Malaysia had recently launched an investigation into "misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the X platform," part of a wave of regulatory actions that followed an Indian IT ministry notice directing X to take immediate action and alluding to potential violations of the country's Information Technology Act.

French authorities in the Paris prosecutor's office and other governments, including the UK and an EU probe, have announced similar investigations. UK technology secretary Liz Kendall said she would support blocking X outright should Ofcom conclude the platform violates the Online Safety Act and said she expects a decision in the next few days.

Key Topics

Tech, Grok, Indonesia, Malaysia, Xai, Deepfakes