X could face UK ban over deepfakes, minister says

8 minutes agoShareSaveLiv McMahonandLaura Cress,Technology reportersShareSaveWatch: Backlash against Elon Musk's Grok AI explained

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall says she would back regulator Ofcom if it blocks UK access to Elon Musk's social media site X for failing to comply with online safety laws.

Ofcom says it is urgently deciding what to do about X's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok, which digitally undressed people without their consent when tagged beneath images posted on the platform. X has now limited the use of this image function to those who pay a monthly fee.

But Downing Street said the change was "insulting" to victims of sexual violence.

Musk said on X the UK government "want any excuse for censorship" as he replied to a post questioning why other AI platforms were not being looked at.

Kendall said: "Sexually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent.

She added: "I, and more importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom update on next steps in days not weeks."

She said the Online Safety Act "includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK, if they refuse to comply with UK law" and "if Ofcom decide to use those powers they will have our full support".

The BBC has approached X for comment.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We urgently made contact [with X] on Monday and set a firm deadline of today [Friday] to explain themselves, to which we have received a response."

"We're now undertaking an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly."

Ofcom's powers under the Online Safety Act include being able to seek a court order to prevent third parties from helping X raise money or be accessed in the UK – should the firm refuse to comply.

These so-called business disruption measures remain largely untested.

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The use of Grok to generate non-consensual sexualised images has been condemned by politicians on all sides, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling it "disgraceful" and "disgusting".

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it was "horrible in every way" and that X "needs to go further" than the changes it had made to Grok earlier on Friday.

But he said the idea of banning X in the UK was "frankly appalling" and an attack on free speech.

The Liberal Democrats have called for access to X to be temporarily restricted in the UK while the social media site was investigated.

'Humiliated and dehumanised'

Grok is a free tool which users can tag directly in posts or replies under other users' posts to ask it for a particular response.

The tool can still edit images on X if accessed through other areas of the platform, such as via its in-built "edit image" function, or on its separate app and website.

Many requests have been made asking it to edit images of women to show them in bikinis or little clothing – something those subject to such requests have told the BBC left them feeling "humiliated" and "dehumanised".

However as of Friday morning, Grok has told users asking it to alter images uploaded to X that "image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers", adding users "can

Original aticle here: BBC