Indonesia Suspends Grok Access Over AI Pornography and Deepfake Risks

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesia has temporarily suspended access to Grok on X on Saturday, Jan 10, 2026 in Jakarta to curb the spread of AI-generated pornography and sexual deepfakes, a move the government said was necessary to protect women, children, and public safety in the digital space. The decision underscored rising regulatory pressure as governments worldwide confront the misuse of generative AI tools.

Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid said the ministry acted after finding Grok lacked adequate safeguards to prevent nonconsensual sexual manipulation of images. “The government views nonconsensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,” she said in a statement.

The ministry said it had formally asked X to provide clarification on Grok’s impacts and the steps being taken to mitigate harm. The suspension was imposed under Ministerial Regulation No. 5 of 2020, which requires private electronic system operators to ensure their platforms do not host or facilitate prohibited content.

Officials warned that administrative sanctions, including access termination, could follow if platform operators were uncooperative. Service providers and users proven to have produced or distributed pornographic content or manipulated private images without consent could face administrative penalties or criminal charges.

Alexander Sabar, director general for digital space supervision, said an initial review found no explicit and sufficient safeguards in Grok’s AI system. That gap, he said, opened the door to the production and distribution of pornographic content using real photos of Indonesian citizens.

Lawmakers backed the move. Syamsu Rizal, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission I, said Grok’s ability to manipulate images into explicit material posed “a serious and alarming threat.” “With specific prompts, Grok can follow those instructions. This is clearly dangerous,” he said.

The government framed the issue as more than morality. Digital manipulation of personal images, officials said, strips individuals of control over their visual identity and can cause severe psychological, social, and reputational harm.

Indonesia’s newly enacted Criminal Code, which took effect on Jan 2, 2026, heightens the stakes. Article 172 defines pornography as media containing obscenity or sexual exploitation, while Article 407 allows prison sentences of six months to 10 years or fines for offenses related to pornographic distribution.

The controversy has drawn global attention. Governments in India, France, Malaysia, and the European Union have criticized Grok after it was used to generate sexualized images, including of minors, despite prohibitions in its own policies.

Grok’s official account acknowledged security failures and said fixes were underway. “We have identified shortcomings in safeguards and are fixing them immediately,” the company said in a statement.

India ordered X to halt the creation of nudity and sexualized content, while France said Grok-generated material violated its laws. Malaysia has opened an investigation into similar allegations.

Amid the backlash, Elon Musk, the owner of X, reiterated that child sexual abuse is illegal and prohibited on platforms under his control, even as he posted an AI-generated image of himself in a bikini that fueled debate over platform standards.

As of publication, Grok remained partially accessible to some users in Indonesia, though certain features appeared restricted. The ministry said access would be reviewed pending cooperation and concrete improvements from X.