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California AG Orders Musk’s xAI to Stop Generating Sexual Deepfake Images

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent a cease-and-desist letter to xAI, demanding the immediate halt of the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexual images generated by its AI chatbot Grok.

“I fully expect xAI to immediately comply,” Bonta said in a statement on Friday.

The action follows a growing global backlash against Grok, which has allowed users to create and share sexualized images of women and minors. Authorities in multiple countries have moved to investigate or restrict the tool over concerns about illegal and harmful content.

Bonta’s office said it opened a formal investigation on Wednesday into the creation and spread of non-consensual, sexually explicit material produced using Grok. The probe adds regulatory pressure on xAI, which is owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

xAI said late on Wednesday that it had introduced new restrictions limiting image-editing capabilities for all Grok users, though regulators say concerns remain. The company did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the cease-and-desist letter.

International scrutiny has intensified in parallel. Authorities in Japan, Canada and Britain have opened probes into Grok, while Malaysia and Indonesia have temporarily blocked access to the chatbot over the generation of explicit images.

California’s move underscores a broader shift by regulators toward holding AI developers accountable for how generative tools are used—and misused—particularly when it comes to non-consensual and sexualized content. The case could set an important precedent for how aggressively governments intervene as generative AI systems become more powerful and widely deployed.

Iranians Use Musk’s Starlink to Bypass Internet Blackout Amid Protest Crackdown

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Some Iranians are continuing to access the internet through Starlink, the satellite-based network operated by Elon Musk, despite a near-total nationwide communications blackout imposed by authorities, according to people inside the country.

Iranian officials have in recent days launched a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, accompanied by widespread internet shutdowns affecting fiber-optic and mobile networks. However, Starlink—which delivers connectivity directly from thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites—remains operational in some parts of Iran, despite being officially banned.

Three Starlink users inside Iran told Reuters that the service was still functioning in certain locations. One user in western Iran said dozens of people in his area were using Starlink and that access in border towns and cities appeared largely unaffected.

Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks, said he had also received reports of continued Starlink access, though at reduced levels. “It is patchy, but still there,” he said. According to NetBlocks data, the broader internet blackout that began on January 8 continued on Monday, with non-satellite connectivity operating at roughly 1% of normal levels.

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It remains unclear how Iranian authorities are attempting to disrupt Starlink’s service. Some specialists said any interference could involve jamming Starlink terminals by overpowering their ability to receive satellite signals. SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not respond to requests for comment. Iranian authorities were also unreachable due to phone and internet outages.

CRITICAL TOOL AMID GLOBAL CONFLICTS
Starlink’s role in Iran highlights the growing influence of Musk’s satellite internet network in global conflicts and political unrest. The service has been a critical communications tool for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and has also been used in countries such as Myanmar and Sudan, where authorities have repeatedly imposed internet shutdowns.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, without explicitly referencing Starlink.

Musk previously shipped free Starlink terminals to Ukraine and offered complimentary service there. By contrast, standard Starlink terminals typically cost about $599, plus a monthly subscription fee, putting them out of reach for many Iranians.

Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, but Musk has previously said the service is active there. In December 2022, he wrote on his social media platform X that the company was “approaching 100 Starlinks active in Iran,” a small number relative to the country’s population of roughly 92 million. In June last year, responding to calls for Starlink access to Iran, Musk posted simply: “beams are on.”

Following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June, Iran’s parliament passed legislation formally banning Starlink and imposing severe penalties for using or distributing the unlicensed technology, according to state media. Despite those restrictions, the continued use of Starlink underscores how satellite internet has become a powerful, if uneven, tool for bypassing state-imposed information controls.

Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Grok over sexualised images

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Indonesia has temporarily blocked access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, citing concerns over the risk of AI-generated pornographic and sexualised content. The decision makes Indonesia the first country to formally deny access to the tool.

The move comes amid growing international backlash, with governments and regulators across Europe and Asia condemning Grok over its role in generating and spreading sexualised images online, including non-consensual content.

xAI said on Thursday that it had begun restricting Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers, after safeguard failures allowed the production of sexualised outputs, including depictions involving minors. The company said the changes were part of efforts to tighten controls and prevent misuse.

Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said the government viewed non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights and digital safety.
“The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,” Hafid said in a statement.

The ministry has also summoned officials from X, where Grok is embedded, to discuss the issue and clarify what measures are being taken to prevent further abuse.

Elon Musk said on X that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as users who upload such material directly. When contacted by Reuters, xAI responded with what appeared to be an automated message stating, “Legacy Media Lies.” X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, enforces strict laws banning the online distribution of content deemed obscene. Authorities said the temporary block would remain in place while regulators assess compliance and safeguards surrounding the AI tool.