Starmer warns X that if it can’t management Grok, ‘we will’ | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Elon Musk’s X that if it can’t management Grok “we will” and stated the social media website may lose the “right to self regulate”.

It comes as media watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether or not the social media platform has breached UK legislation over studies that its chatbot Grok was used to create and share sexualised photos of youngsters.

The Technology Secretary in the meantime advised MPs that creating non-consensual intimate photos will grow to be a legal offence this week and described sexualised photos created by AI as “weapons of abuse”.

Addressing a gathering of backbenchers on the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Prime Minister stated: “The actions of Grok and X are absolutely disgusting and shameful.

“Protecting their abusive users, rather than the women and children who are being abused shows a total distortion of priorities.

“So let me be crystal clear, we won’t stand for it, because no matter how unstable or complex the world becomes, this Government will be guided by its values. We’ll stand up for the vulnerable against the powerful.

“If X cannot control Grok, we will – and we’ll do it fast because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate.”

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall advised MPs that it will grow to be an offence to make use of instruments like Grok to create sexual photos with out consent this week.

She advised the Commons: “The Data (Use and Access) Act passed last year made it a criminal offence to create or request the creation of non-consensual intimate images, and today I can announce to the House that this offence will be brought into force this week.”

Nudification apps may also be criminalised to focus on the issue “at its source”, she stated.

Ms Kendall stated the Internet Watch Foundation “reports criminal imagery of children as young as 11, including girls sexualised and toddlers”.

She continued: “This is child sexual abuse.

“We’ve seen reports of photos being shared of women in bikinis, tied up and gagged, with bruises, covered in blood, and much, much more.

“Lives can and have been devastated by this content which is designed to harass, torment and violate people’s dignity.

“They are not harmless images. They’re weapons of abuse, disproportionately aimed at women and girls, and they are illegal.”

Ms Kendall stated Ofcom’s investigation into Grok should not take “months and months”.

Grok, developed by one other firm based by Mr Musk known as xAI, launched a brand new superior picture technology function in July final 12 months.

But its use for creating nude deepfake photos has grow to be widespread over the previous couple of weeks, prompting condemnation from the Government and the Ofcom probe.

In a press release, Ofcom stated it can examine the platform to find out whether or not it “has complied with its duties to protect people in the UK from content that is illegal”.

It comes after the regulator made “urgent contact” with X on January 5 to ask it to elucidate what steps it can take to guard UK customers and set a “firm deadline” of January 9, which it stated X had met.

Ofcom stated: “There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material.”

Downing Street has in the meantime indicated that it’s prepared to contemplate leaving X, previously referred to as Twitter, if Mr Musk’s firm didn’t act.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman stated the Government’s focus was on “protecting children” however was retaining its presence on X “under review”, including: “I think we’ve been clear that all options are on the table.”

In response to ministers’ threats, Mr Musk has accused the UK Government of being “fascist” and making an attempt to curb free speech.