Ofcom probes X over Grok deepfake sexual imagery risk

Security Brief reports that the British regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into the social media platform X. The inquiry follows complaints about sexual deepfake images made and circulated through X's Grok artificial intelligence tool. The report adds that X has said Grok will stop "undressing" pictures of real people in places where that is against the law, a step taken after campaigners and the British government criticised the tool.

The article presents the matter as an early test of the Online Safety Act, which gave Ofcom new oversight powers, and of how hard regulators will press platforms over harms linked to AI. Ofcom is examining whether X has suitable systems and processes to deal with Grok being used to create non-consensual sexual imagery and other possible harms. The inquiry is expected to look at how the platform assesses risk, moderates content generated by AI and handles reports from users.

Several commentators are quoted. Jamie Hurworth of the law firm Payne Hicks Beach welcomed the investigation and rejected framing Grok's output as free speech. Ricardo Amper, chief executive of Incode, argued that safety must be designed in from the start, that platforms can cut harm both when content is created and when it is shared, and that a layered approach with proportionate age assurance works best. The article notes that X has not said its change will apply everywhere, which raises questions about differing standards between markets and about enforcement across borders. It also says law firms expect more civil actions and regulator complaints as deepfake tools become easier to use and more convincing.