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Indonesia lifts ban on Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot after X Corp’s commitment to compliance

AI tool Grok resumes operations in the republic following new safety measures; Malaysia also lifts restriction under close supervision

4:44 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Indonesia has lifted its ban on Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, allowing the AI tool to resume operations after X Corp committed to enhancing its compliance with the country’s laws, according to a government statement.

The suspension came three weeks ago, as the Indonesian authorities raised concerns over the potential for Grok to generate AI-driven pornographic content. Indonesia became the first country to ban access to the application, Reuters reported.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said that access will be restored “on a conditional basis and under strict supervision,” as reported by Reuters.

Grok, operated by X and xAI, did not respond to requests for comment outside business hours.

Governments and regulators from across Europe and Asia have also expressed concerns about the sexualised content generated by Grok, with some launching inquiries.

Senior ministry official Alexander Sabar clarified, “The normalisation of access to Grok services is being carried out conditionally after X Corp submitted a written commitment containing concrete steps for service improvement and prevention of abuse. This commitment is the basis for evaluation, not the end of the supervision process.”

Sabar added that X has introduced “layered” measures to address the misuse of Grok services, with ongoing verification.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced on January 23 that it had lifted a temporary restriction on Grok after X Corp confirmed it had implemented additional security measures in compliance with Malaysian law.

MCMC’s statement indicated that the decision followed a meeting on January 21, where X confirmed that necessary safeguards had been put in place.

The regulator emphasised that while the restriction was removed, Grok would remain under continuous monitoring.

“The application will remain under close supervision, and any violation of Malaysian laws will be met with firm action,” MCMC warned.

Previously, MCMC had blocked access to Grok due to its role in generating inappropriate and explicit AI images of women and children. – February 1, 2026


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