Privacy commissioner expands probe into X after backlash over Grok’s sexual deepfakes

Canada’s privacy commissioner is expanding his investigation into Elon Musk’s X Corp. following multiple reports that its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok is being used to create and share explicit images of people without their consent. 

“The use of personal information without consent to create deepfakes, including intimate images, is a growing phenomenon that poses serious risks to individuals’ fundamental right to privacy,” Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in a statement. 

“I have decided to expand my investigation to address this issue given its importance and the potential serious harms that it may cause to Canadians,” he added. 

The statement said Dufresne will not only look into X Corp., which operates X, formerly known as Twitter, but also xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Musk which is responsible for Grok.

In recent weeks, the proliferation of sexual deepfakes on Elon Musk’s platform X, created by the chatbot Grok, has triggered a global backlash. The deepfakes have mostly been targeted at women — and, in some cases, children.

While the technology to make sexualized deepfakes is not new, X made it easily accessible by allowing users to ask Grok to edit images directly on the platform.

WATCH | Should Canada crack down on Elon Musk’s Grok AI?

Should Canada crack down on Elon Musk’s Grok AI?

Law professor Kristen Thomasen says preventing the sharing of non-consensual deepfakes on X will likely require government legislation, warning it’s a structural issue that users have limited means to solve.

On Wednesday, X said in a post on its platform that Grok has been updated to prevent it from being used to edit images of real people “in revealing clothing, such as bikinis” and that the restrictions impact all users, including paid subscribers. 

The post further said that paid subscribers retain the ability “to edit images via the Grok account on the X platform,” so that users “who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.”

Initial probe opened in last February

Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon recently said that Canada is not considering a ban on X — a comment that drew praise from Musk, who shared a post on the platform about the announcement, adding a Canadian flag and a heart emoji.

But Malaysia and Indonesia said over the weekend they would block access to Grok; a ban is also a possibility in the U.K.

Dufresne’s office said Wednesday that it informed both companies that the investigation was being expanded. 

The expanded probe will look at whether X Corp. and xAI obtained consent from people whose personal information was used to create deepfakes, including explicit content. 

“The privacy commissioner has taken note of the subsequent update from the company, communicating its intention to address the matter,” Dufresne’s office said. “This will be taken into consideration by [the commissioner’s] office as it proceeds with this investigation.”

In February 2025, the privacy commissioner opened its initial investigation into X, saying it would “examine whether X is meeting its obligations” under Canada’s Privacy Act.

Dufresne’s office said the initial investigation would “focus on the platform’s compliance with federal privacy law with respect to its collection, use and disclosure of Canadians’ personal information to train artificial intelligence models.”

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/x-corp-musk-grok-privacy-commissioner-probe-9.7046608?cmp=rss