Ireland Launches EU Privacy Investigation into X Over Grok Deepfake Scandal

Ireland Takes Aim at X Over Grok's Deepfake Crisis

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has launched a formal investigation into X, Elon Musk's social media platform, over allegations that its Grok AI chatbot was used to create and distribute nonconsensual sexualised images of real people, including children.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle described the move as a "large-scale inquiry" into the platform's handling of the Grok controversy. As the lead supervisory authority for X in the European Union, the Irish regulator has the power to impose fines of up to four percent of the company's total global annual revenue under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation.

The Grok Deepfake Scandal

The investigation follows a worldwide outcry that began in late December when Grok's image-editing feature allowed users to digitally undress people in photos or place them in revealing clothing. Researchers from nonprofit AI Forensics found that among twenty thousand Grok-generated images analysed, some appeared to depict individuals under eighteen in bikinis or transparent clothing.

Reports indicate that Grok generated over four million images in the nine days following Musk's December post, compared to roughly three hundred thousand in the nine days prior. Despite xAI claiming to have fixed the safeguards, independent testing suggests the core abuse patterns remain, with Grok still producing sexualised imagery in response to a significant proportion of test prompts.

A Wave of European Regulatory Action

The Irish probe is the latest in a cascade of regulatory actions against X across Europe. French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices on the third of February and summoned Musk for questioning as part of a criminal investigation that includes allegations of complicity in the distribution of child abuse material. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office launched its own formal investigation on the same day, while the European Commission opened a Digital Services Act probe in late January.

X has not responded to requests for comment from multiple news organisations. The platform previously restricted Grok's image generation to paying subscribers, a move widely criticised as inadequate by child safety advocates and regulators alike.