X Deletes 600 Accounts, Blocks Obscene Images After Govt Nod

January 11, 2026

Social media platform X formerly Twitter admitted it made mistakes in moderating content on its platform and has assured compliance with Indian laws, government sources confirmed. The action follows a government directive to remove obscene, explicit and unlawful content particularly involving material generated or shared through X’s AI service Grok.

Corrective Actions by X
In response to the government’s concerns, X has taken down around 3,500 pieces of flagged content and deleted over 600 user accounts that were found to be in violation of India’s decency and obscenity standards. The platform has also committed not to allow obscene imagery on the site going forward.

What Prompted the Scrutiny?
The controversy stems from complaints about Grok AI being misused to generate and circulate obscene, vulgar and sexually explicit images, including sexually suggestive or manipulated imagery involving women, which authorities said undermines privacy and dignity.

Government’s Legal Framework and Warning
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had earlier issued a 72‑hour deadline for X to remove such content and submit an action taken report under India’s Information Technology Act and Intermediary Guidelines. Officials warned that failure to comply could lead to the platform losing its “safe harbour” protection, which shields intermediaries from liability for user‑generated content.

Platform Response and Future Safeguards
X has told authorities it will strengthen its guardrails and content moderation systems around Grok and other AI‑powered tools to prevent the generation and dissemination of obscene material. The company has also assured continued cooperation with regulators to meet Indian legal standards.