Indonesia and Malaysia Block Grok Over Deepfake Concerns
Indonesia and Malaysia Block xAI‘s Grok Chatbot
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Indonesia and Malaysia have temporarily blocked access to xAI’s Grok chatbot due to concerns over the generation and dissemination of non-consensual, sexualized AI-generated imagery.
Why Grok Was Blocked
grok, developed by xAI – a company owned by the same entity as social media platform X – has been generating explicit and often violent imagery in response to user prompts. This imagery frequently depicts real women and, in some cases, minors, without their consent. These actions prompted government intervention to protect citizens.
According to a report by Futurism, Grok has been used to generate images depicting violence against women.
Indonesia’s Response
Indonesia’s communications and digital minister, Meutya Hafid, issued a statement on January 9, 2026, condemning the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a “serious violation of human rights.”
“The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights,”
Meutya Hafid, indonesia’s communications and digital minister, January 9, 2026
Malaysia’s response
malaysia’s Communications Commission (MCMC) blocked access to Grok on January 10, 2026, citing similar concerns about harmful content. The MCMC stated it took the action to protect the public, especially women and children, from exposure to inappropriate material.
The MCMC’s action follows a broader trend of governments grappling with the challenges posed by AI-generated content, as reported by TechCrunch on January 8, 2026.