In a major crackdown on digital safety, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a formal notice to the Elon Musk-led social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Indian government has directed the platform to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene, and unlawful content, specifically flagging the misuse of the AI chatbot Grok to generate indecent imagery of women.
The order, issued on January 2, 2026, warns that failure to comply could result in the platform losing its “safe harbor” legal immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act, exposing the company and its officers to criminal prosecution.
The government’s intervention follows a series of reports regarding the “gross misuse” of xAI’s Grok platform. Users have allegedly been using the AI tool to create synthetic, sexually explicit images and videos of women, which are then disseminated via fake accounts to denigrate and harass victims.
Key Highlights of the MeitY Order:
- 72-Hour Deadline: X must submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) within 3 days.
- Comprehensive Review: The platform is required to undertake a technical and governance-level audit of Grok’s safety guardrails, including its prompt-processing and image-handling capabilities.
- Account Termination: MeitY has directed X to not only remove the content but also take strict action against the offending users and accounts.
“This is not limited to the creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host their own images… Such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards.” — Government of India Order
The notice comes shortly after Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking urgent action against the “emerging trend” of using Grok to “digitally undress” women.
The Ministry emphasized that under the IT Rules, 2021 and the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), intermediaries are legally obligated to ensure their platforms do not facilitate the hosting of paedophilic, pornographic, or privacy-invasive content.
| Regulation | Compliance Requirement |
| IT Rules 2021 | 24-hour window to remove non-consensual intimate imagery. |
| Section 79 (IT Act) | Safe harbor protection is conditional on due diligence. |
| BNS & BNSS | Penal consequences for disseminating sexually explicit synthetic content. |
The government reiterated its December 29 advisory, reminding all social media firms that they must act as responsible intermediaries. With the 72-hour clock ticking, the tech world is closely watching how Elon Musk’s X responds to India’s strictest AI-related directive to date.
Key Highlights:
- Government Ultimatum: India has given X a 72-hour deadline to remove all obscene content generated by its AI tool, Grok, or face strict legal consequences.
- Safeguard Failure: MeitY identified a “gross misuse” of AI technology where Grok was used to create fake, sexually explicit images of women, violating IT Rules 2021.
- Technical Audit: The platform must perform an immediate review of Grok’s safety guardrails and prompt filters to prevent the generation of unlawful or nude content.
- Legal Stakes: Non-compliance may lead to the loss of Safe Harbor protection, making X liable for third-party content under the BNS and IT Act.