UK & Australia eyeing X ban amid Grok’s explicit deepfake scandal

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Okay, so it looks like both the UK and Australia are seriously considering completely banning X, formerly known as Twitter. It’s all happening because of the controversy around Grok, the AI tool on the platform, and how it’s being used to create pretty convincing deepfakes. It’s getting messy, and they’re thinking a full ban might be the only way to deal with it.

So, Elon Musk, who now owns X, dropped this AI called Grok back in November 2023. At first, it was just giving you extra info while you were scrolling through your feed. But it’s gotten a lot better since then – now it can actually create stuff, which is pretty cool!

Currently, Grok is mostly being used to create inappropriate and explicit images. Even with simple requests, people are able to get the AI to generate disturbing content, including depictions of minors and graphic violence against women.

Following criticism, X limited access to Grok’s image editing tool to paying subscribers only. However, this change might not satisfy everyone, as the United Kingdom and Australia are both exploring potential complete bans of the X platform.

X under fire as UK & Australian governments consider possible ban

According to the BBC, UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has publicly stated her support for Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator. She confirmed that if Ofcom decides to ban Grok due to concerns about online safety, the government will fully support that decision.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also spoken out about the issue, calling it both “disgraceful” and “disgusting.”

Grok’s feature that creates explicit images could face a broad ban if it isn’t quickly fixed. While a ban isn’t certain, it’s a real possibility. As of today, the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, is considering its next steps and should have more information within a few days.

After the UK suggested a possible course of action, Musk countered, claiming the government was simply looking for a reason to censor content.

On January 10, 2026, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned images created by Grok, calling them “completely abhorrent,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

This is another instance of social media failing to act responsibly. People in Australia, and around the world, deserve better treatment.

I was really surprised to hear about Australia’s new rules on social media! They’ve basically banned it for anyone under 16 across the whole country. It’s a pretty big move, and I’m curious to see how it all plays out.

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2026-01-12 05:19