Canada’s privacy watchdog is broadening its inquiry into Elon Musk’s X Corp. over allegations of its AI chatbot Grok being misused to generate and distribute explicit images without consent. Commissioner Philippe Dufresne emphasized the significance of safeguarding individuals’ privacy rights amid the escalating trend of unauthorized deepfake creation.
The expanded investigation will not only scrutinize X Corp., the operator of X (formerly Twitter), but also xAI, Musk’s AI venture responsible for Grok. Recent uproar has erupted globally due to the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes on X, predominantly targeting women and, disturbingly, even minors.
Although the technology for creating sexualized deepfakes is not novel, X made it easily accessible by enabling users to request Grok to manipulate images directly on the platform. In response to the backlash, X announced updates to Grok aiming to prevent the editing of images depicting real individuals in revealing attire like bikinis, with these constraints applying to all users, including paying subscribers.
Despite calls for regulatory intervention, Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon indicated that a ban on X is not under consideration. Conversely, Malaysia and Indonesia have announced plans to block access to Grok, with the UK also contemplating a similar course of action. Dufresne’s office confirmed the extension of the investigation to explore whether X Corp. and xAI obtained necessary consent when utilizing individuals’ personal data for crafting deepfakes, including explicit content.
The privacy commissioner’s initial probe, initiated in February 2025, focuses on assessing X’s adherence to federal privacy laws concerning the collection, utilization, and dissemination of Canadians’ personal information for AI model training. Dufresne’s office acknowledged X’s commitment to addressing the issue as part of the ongoing investigation.
