Malaysia will pursue legal action against social media platform X after regulators said its image creation feature known as Grok was used to spread harmful and illegal content, raising serious user safety concerns.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said on Tuesday that it had identified repeated misuse of Grok to produce and circulate obscene and non consensual images, including material involving women and minors. The regulator said the activity violates local law and breaches safety obligations required of digital platforms operating in the country.
The move places Malaysia among a growing number of governments tightening scrutiny on X and its parent company xAI, following similar regulatory steps in Europe and Southeast Asia.
In a statement, the commission said it had already issued formal notices to X and xAI earlier this month, instructing them to remove content deemed harmful under Malaysian law. According to the regulator, those requests were ignored.
“Content allegedly involving women and minors is of serious concern,” the commission said, adding that such material is “obscene, indecent, grossly offensive, and non consensual.” The regulator said the conduct undermines the companies’ stated commitments to user safety.
Malaysia enforces strict online content rules, particularly in areas involving sexual material, child exploitation, online scams, and content touching on race, religion, and royalty.
The legal threat comes as authorities worldwide respond to the spread of sexually explicit manipulated images created using Grok. Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked access to the feature over the weekend.
In Britain, media regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into X over similar concerns. French officials have also referred the company to prosecutors and regulators, citing possible breaches of national law.
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These actions reflect rising pressure on global platforms to prevent the misuse of image creation tools, especially where minors are involved.
When contacted by Reuters for comment, xAI responded with a brief message that read “Legacy Media Lies,” which appeared to be automated. X did not immediately respond to separate requests for comment.
The Malaysian regulator said it would proceed with enforcement measures under existing communications and content laws if compliance is not achieved.