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   The Grok backlash intensifies - new EU probe investigates whether millions of   
   `potentially harmful' deepfake images broke data privacy laws   
      
   By David Nield published 4 hours ago   
      
   Even more scrutiny   
      
       The EU's privacy watchdog has opened a new 'large-scale' X inquiry   
       It's probing whether 'potentially harmful' Grok images broke privacy laws   
       This follows separate investigations from the EU and UK over X deepfakes   
      
   Elon Musk's X platform (previously known as Twitter) and its Grok AI bot are   
   facing fresh scrutiny over non-consensual and sexualized deepfake content, with   
   Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) announcing an inquiry.   
      
   As per MarketWatch, the watchdog is investigating whether X has complied with   
   the strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules in the EU, which the   
   Irish regulator is in charge of enforcing on behalf of the 27-nation bloc.   
      
   In recent weeks, there has been a storm of criticism leveled at X in response   
   to Grok being used to create and post millions of sexualized and revealing   
   images - often based on real photos (some of whom appear to be minors), and   
   used without consent.   
      
   The DPC says it "has been engaging" with X about the "potential harmful" images   
   since they began circulating at a large scale, although X has made no official   
   comment. The social media platform has previously insisted that necessary   
   safeguards have been put in place, but regulators aren't convinced.   
      
   Investigations and raids   
      
   This new inquiry adds to a separate EU investigation that's looking at the same   
   problems, but under laws that require platforms to stop the spread of illegal   
   material - which in this case may include child sexual abuse material. The   
   UK, no longer part of the EU, has also launched its own inquiry.   
      
   There were also raids earlier this month on X offices in Paris by French and EU   
   law enforcement agencies, as part of ongoing investigations that also cover the   
   AI-generated imagery. As the Financial Times reports, X denied any wrongdoing   
   at the time.   
      
   At the moment it's not clear how long the new inquiry will take, or what the   
   result of it might be, but substantial fines are certainly on the table - if   
   X is found to have been lacking in terms of the data privacy protections it put   
   in place around these images.   
      
   Grok is powered by xAI, another Elon Musk company, which announced a merger   
   with SpaceX just a few days ago. The AI bot and its capabilities are available   
   to all users, with higher usage limits for those signed up to premium plans.   
      
      
   https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/the-grok-backlash-intensifies   
   -new-eu-probe-investigates-whether-millions-of-potentially-harmful-deepfake-ima   
   ges-broke-data-privacy-laws   
      
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