The Philippines Joins Grok Ban as Canada and Japan Investigate xAI Amid AI Deepfakes

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xAI faces legal trouble as Ashley St. Clair files suit over non-consensual explicit images, while regulators in Canada and Japan investigate Grok.

The global backlash against Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has reached a boiling point. What started as criticism of the AI's "spicy mode", which allowed users to generate unrestricted images, has spiraled into an international regulatory crisis

Governments from Southeast Asia to North America are taking drastic measures to block or investigate the platform, citing the proliferation of non-consensual deepfake pornography.

The ‘Block’ Chain: Asia Leads the Charge 

Indonesia became the first domino to fall this week, fully blocking access to Grok after declaring its content a violation of human rights and dignity. Malaysia quickly followed suit, issuing a similar ban after regulators found the tool was being used to generate "obscene and sexually explicit" content involving minors.

Now, the Philippines has joined the fray. On Thursday, Philippine authorities announced an immediate blockade of the service, with cybercrime officials stating they could not wait for xAI’s promises of self-regulation. 

"We need to clean the internet now," said Telecommunications Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda, marking the Philippines as the third nation to officially bar the tool.

Gearing Up: Canada and Japan Join the Resistance 

While Southeast Asia has moved to outright bans, other nations are rapidly "gearing up" their own defenses.

Canada has escalated its stance significantly. The Privacy Commissioner has expanded an existing probe into X Corp to specifically target xAI, investigating whether Grok’s data practices violate federal privacy laws. 

While not yet a full ban, Canadian officials have warned that "platforms have a duty to prevent harm," signaling that a regulatory hammer may be poised to fall.

Japan is also tightening the screws. Following reports from NHK of local celebrities being targeted by Grok’s "undressing" features, X Corp Japan issued stern warnings to users. The government is monitoring the situation closely, with potential restrictions looming if the platform fails to curb illegal content.

Ashley St. Clair Takes Legal Action 

Amid the geopolitical storm, a personal legal battle has exposed the human cost of the controversy. Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk’s children, has filed a bombshell lawsuit against xAI in New York.

St. Clair alleges that Grok is a "public nuisance" that generated thousands of non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes of her, including images depicting her as a minor and others featuring Nazi imagery. 

The lawsuit claims she pleaded with xAI to stop the harassment, only to face "retaliation" in the form of demonetization on the X platform.

"Grok was harassing her by creating and distributing nonconsensual, abusive, and degrading images," said her attorney, Carrie Goldberg. The lawsuit adds a volatile layer to the crisis, coinciding with a custody battle between St. Clair and Musk over their son, Romulus.

Too Little, Too Late? 

In response to the uproar, xAI has begun geoblocking the ability to generate undressed images in jurisdictions where it is illegal. However, for countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and for victims like St. Clair, these guardrails may be too little, too late. 

As regulators in the UK and EU watch closely, the walls seem to be closing in on Musk’s ‘anti-woke’ AI.