- Ireland’s top privacy regulator, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), has launched a major GDPR investigation into X (formerly Twitter) over its Grok AI generating non-consensual sexualized images, including of children.
- The DPC probe, acting as the EU’s lead authority for X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC), will examine compliance with core GDPR rules like lawful basis for processing and privacy-by-design.
- This inquiry is the latest in a global wave of formal regulatory actions against Grok, with probes now open across Europe, the UK, Australia, and the U.S.
- Research by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found Grok generated an estimated 23,338 sexualized images of children in less than two weeks last winter.
Ireland’s privacy watchdog has now opened a large-scale inquiry into X regarding whether its generative AI chatbot, Grok, facilitated the creation and spread of harmful non-consensual images. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) notified X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC) and is acting as the EU’s lead supervisory authority, giving its findings binding weight across the bloc. This investigation will scrutinize XIUC‘s compliance with fundamental GDPR obligations, including lawful basis for processing and the principle of privacy-by-design.
The regulatory action follows a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) that Grok generated tens of thousands of sexualized images depicting children over a short period. Consequently, X later restricted Grok’s image features to paid subscribers and added technical barriers against creating such content. Meanwhile, a global regulatory crackdown is intensifying, with the European Commission and French authorities also taking formal action.
In the UK, both Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office have opened separate investigations. Australian regulators have noted a sharp increase in related complaints and pledged to use enforcement powers where needed. Furthermore, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a formal investigation into xAI and Grok over non-consensual sexually explicit AI images. This regulatory wave underscores growing international concern over AI-generated abuse.
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