• Source:JND

After the Centre flagged the circulation of obscene and explicit content on social media platform X, the company reportedly deleted 600 accounts and removed 3,500 posts. X has also assured authorities that it will comply with Indian regulations and prevent such content on its platform.

The action follows a notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) last week, directing X Corp to submit an action taken report within 72 hours over the misuse of its AI tool Grok for generating obscene and derogatory content, particularly targeting women.

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The government has warned that non-compliance will invite strict legal consequences under multiple Indian laws and could even cost the platform its legal protection as an intermediary.

What Triggered The Crackdown?

According to MeitY, users misused Grok and xAI services to generate obscene images, create fake accounts, upload derogatory content targeting women, and manipulate images. The ministry called this a serious failure of platform safeguards and a gross misuse of AI technologies.

Indian Laws Governing Obscene And Unlawful Online Content

1. Information Technology Act, 2000

The IT Act and its allied rules form the backbone of India's digital governance framework.

Key provisions include:

Section 66E - Punishment for violation of privacy

Section 67 - Publishing or transmitting obscene material

Section 67A - Publishing sexually explicit content

Section 67B - Child sexual abuse material

Section 78 - Police powers to investigate cyber offences

Section 80 - Powers of search, seizure and arrest

2. IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021

These rules impose strict due-diligence obligations on social media platforms, requiring them to:

Prevent hosting or transmission of unlawful content

Act swiftly on government directions

Establish effective grievance redressal mechanisms

Enforce content moderation and user discipline

Failure to comply can lead to loss of legal immunity.

What Consequences Could X Face?

Loss of Safe Harbour Protection

Under Section 79 of the IT Act, platforms enjoy limited liability as intermediaries.
However, MeitY has warned that X could lose this protection, exposing it to direct legal action for content hosted on its platform.

Penal action under multiple laws

Non-compliance may invite prosecution under:

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (India’s new criminal code)

Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act

These laws carry serious criminal penalties, including imprisonment and heavy fines.

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What the government has demanded from X

The ministry has directed X to review Grok’s technical and governance frameworks, enforce strict user policies, suspend or terminate violators, and prevent AI misuse for obscene or abusive content. It warned that failure to comply will be treated seriously and addressed under the full extent of Indian law.


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