EU Investigates Elon Musk’s X Over Deepfake Concerns

The European Union has initiated an investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X, spurred by growing concerns regarding the artificial intelligence service Grok. This scrutiny comes in response to a public outcry over deepfake images of a sexualized nature being generated by Grok, raising alarming safety issues. The European Commission, which oversees regulatory compliance within the EU, expressed its worries that Grok might violate the Digital Services Act (DSA). This legislation aims to enhance online safety by obliging companies like X to take action against illegal content across various categories, including misleading information and hate speech. Violations under the DSA could result in fines of up to 6% of a company's annual global revenue. In a statement, the Commission detailed that the investigation will examine how effectively X addresses and reduces systemic risks related to Grok's use. Additionally, it will continue its 2023 inquiry into X’s recommender system—which informs users about the posts they see—now inclusive of Grok’s recently implemented features. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's tech commissioner, commented on the seriousness of the issue, stating, “Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation.” She emphasized the need for the Commission to assess whether X is complying with EU content-moderation laws or if it is neglecting the rights of European citizens, especially vulnerable groups like women and children. An official representative from X remarked that the company has instituted measures to curb inappropriate image generation by Grok and maintains a strict stance against child sexual exploitation and nonconsensual nudity. Since Grok's launch last year, which enabled users to modify images using text prompts, there has been a significant rise in concerns regarding nonconsensual images produced by AI on the platform. This has led to regulatory bodies in Europe paying closer attention and influencing how both the Grok app integrated into the platform and its functionalities are managed in the region. Notably, this investigation by the EU follows the UK's media watchdog, Ofcom, beginning its own probe into Grok's image generation practices earlier this month. The EU has been monitoring X for several years, having previously fined the platform 120 million euros (approximately $142 million) in December for failing to comply with digital transparency regulations regarding its blue-check-mark system and advertising claims.