KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — The move to temporarily block the Grok AI chatbot on X is seen as a timely and appropriate measure to protect users, particularly children and women, from potential exploitation and misuse of the technology.

Malaysian Cyber Consumers Association (MCCA) president Siraj Jalil said the strict measure was in line with the enforcement of the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025 on Jan 1, particularly following concerns over the generation of sexually manipulated content involving users through the platform’s generative AI function.

He said platform providers’ failure to comply with the country’s online safety laws could leave room for exploitation, posing risks to children, women, and users from all walks of life.

“The potential for criminals to misuse this technology poses a threat not only to children and women but to anyone. Men too, irrespective of background or skin colour, are at risk if their images are manipulated without consent.

“This measure (the temporary ban) should serve as an example (a lesson) to other digital platforms to ensure they take greater responsibility for user safety,” he told Bernama.

On Jan 11, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) ordered a temporary ban on access to Grok AI for users in Malaysia.

MCMC said the move followed repeated abuse of Grok to generate pornographic and sexually explicit content, as well as non-consensual manipulated images, including material involving women and children, despite prior regulatory action against X Corp. and xAI LLC.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said yesterday that he had reached out to X to schedule a meeting next week over the temporary ban on Grok.

Elaborating, Siraj said the Grok AI chatbot case underscored the importance of online safety laws such as ONSA, which ensure that platform providers are responsible for maintaining a safe digital space for users.

“Previously, features such as deepfakes were exploited on dark web platforms via applications or software not available on legitimate platforms such as Google Play or the Apple App Store.

“Allowing the same to happen on a legitimate platform is a big blow to both users and the government because it’s clearly wrong, illegal and seems uncontrolled. Platform providers should take responsibility if the technology or such function belongs to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Voice of the Children co-founder and chairperson Sharmila Sekaran said MCMC’s swift action to block features that could lead to sexual exploitation or harm users’ dignity was crucial in keeping the digital space safe.

From a user safety and governance perspective, she said MCMC’s firm move sent a clear regulatory signal to digital platforms operating in Malaysia, particularly regarding accountability, prevention and duty of care.

“This stern move could set a more meaningful example for other digital platforms in Malaysia if it focuses on high-risk dangers, is done consistently and is followed up with clear actions.

“It is also appropriate for the Grok provider to be penalised under ONSA or existing laws because the AI function poses a serious risk of online harm, with inadequate safeguards and a regulatory failure to provide meaningful remediation,” she said.

Sharmila further said that the measure demonstrated that the enforcement was not about censorship but about using the law to protect users, especially children, before the risks escalated.

She also warned that the risk of online grooming and exploitation was growing as tools that could generate or manipulate images became widely available, making it easier for predators to produce sexual content involving children. — Bernama