In a move to combat the growing threat of explicit deepfakes, Malaysia and Indonesia have taken decisive action by blocking access to Elon Musk’s AI chatbot platform, Grok. The tool, which allows users to generate images, has recently been misused to edit and produce non-consensual, sexually explicit content involving women and children.
The communications ministries of both Southeast Asian countries have announced the bans, citing the inherent risks posed by Grok’s design. Malaysia’s regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, stated that it had issued notices to Musk’s X platform earlier this year, seeking tighter measures to address the “repeated misuse” of Grok. However, the platform’s response failed to adequately address the underlying issues, leading to the current blockade.
Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya Hafid, echoed these concerns, stating that the use of Grok to generate sexually explicit content is a violation of human rights, dignity, and online safety. The Indonesian authorities have also requested clarification from Musk’s X platform on the use of Grok.
The move by Malaysia and Indonesia comes amid growing global pressure to address the proliferation of deepfakes. In the UK, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has indicated that the government would support the country’s regulator, Ofcom, if it decides to block access to Musk’s X platform for failing to comply with online safety laws.
Musk, however, has accused the UK government of wanting to “suppress free speech,” a claim that has been met with widespread condemnation. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has described the use of Grok to create sexualized images as “disgraceful” and “disgusting.”
The impact of these deepfake creations has been deeply felt by individuals, such as Kirana Ayuningtyas, an Indonesian wheelchair user who found that a stranger had used Grok to depict her wearing a bikini. Despite her efforts to have the image removed and her privacy settings adjusted, Ayuningtyas expressed her frustration at the platform’s inability to effectively address the issue.
As the global community grapples with the challenges posed by advanced AI technologies, the actions taken by Malaysia and Indonesia serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to develop robust safeguards and regulations to protect individuals from the harmful consequences of deepfakes.
