Indonesia and Malaysia Temporarily Block Grok Over Deepfake Misuse

Authorities in Indonesia and Malaysia have taken action to restrict access to Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, following incidents involving the creation of non-consensual, sexualized deepfake images, including those involving minors.

Indonesia’s government temporarily blocked Grok on January 10, 2026, citing concerns about the generation of sexualized deepfake images. The decision was announced by Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Ministry, which referenced the involvement of minors in some of the content as a key factor for the restriction.

Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission followed with a temporary restriction on Grok two days later, on January 12, 2026. The commission stated that the platform had been repeatedly misused to produce obscene and sexually explicit manipulated images, specifically mentioning cases involving women and minors.

Malaysia’s regulator said that Grok’s responses to official notices relied mainly on user reporting systems and did not include effective safeguards. This procedural gap prompted the commission to implement a preventive restriction on the chatbot’s services within the country.

What the numbers show

• Indonesia blocked Grok on January 10, 2026
• Malaysia restricted Grok access on January 12, 2026
• Grok was launched in 2023 and later added image generation features

Grok, created by xAI, was introduced in 2023 and subsequently expanded with an image generator feature known as “Grok Imagine.” This feature included an adult-oriented option referred to as “spicy mode.”.

In response to global concerns over the misuse of AI-generated images, Grok’s image generation and editing capabilities were recently limited to paying subscribers. This change was made as reports of sexualized deepfakes circulated internationally.

Both Indonesia and Malaysia are among the first countries to enact temporary restrictions on Grok due to issues related to non-consensual and explicit content. Their actions reflect procedural steps taken by national regulators in response to AI misuse involving manipulated images.

Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission stated that Grok’s reliance on user reporting mechanisms was insufficient to prevent the spread of inappropriate content. The commission indicated that the lack of additional safeguards was a decisive factor in its decision to restrict access to the platform.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.