Is Grok, X Under Probe For Violating Indian Laws? Govt Responds

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Thursday clarified that it has not sent any notice to X, formerly Twitter, or Grok, the microblogging site's Artificial Intelligence front, for allegedly using Hindi slangs to answer users queries. Government sources stated that its representatives were engaging with X officials to examine which Indian law the microblogging site may have violated.

The government stated that its officials were in contact with X to examine which Indian law the microblogging site was allegedly violating and at what stage.

"Meity has not sent any notice to Grok or X. Meity is in talks with X and Grok to understand what law it is violating," ANI quoted a source as saying.

Why are X and Grok under the IT Ministry’s scanner?

The Ministry of Information and Technology is in communication with X and Grok officials regarding the use of Hindi slangs in replies or responses to queries made on its microblogging site’s Artificial Intelligence platform Grok.

What is Grok?

Grok is an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter. It operates similarly to other AI platforms, such as ChatGPT or Microsoft's Copilot. However, Elon Musk claims that Grok surpasses existing AI platforms, as its database uses the latest information to respond to users' queries and comments.

Elon Musk’s X files lawsuit against Centre in Karnataka High Court 

Microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter and owned by Elon Musk, filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court against the Centre, alleging that the government was unlawfully expanding censorship powers to enable the removal of online content. Media reports on Thursday highlighted this new court filing dated March 5.

In its petition, X termed the government's move as unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship. The platform raised concerns over the Centre's interpretation of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly Section 79(3)(b). X claimed that this section violates Supreme Court rulings and undermines free expression online.

The microblogging platform further argued that through Section 79(3)(b), the government was attempting to create a parallel content-blocking mechanism, bypassing Section 69A and expanding its censorship powers.

It is noteworthy that Section 79(1) of the IT Act provides protection to social media companies from liability for objectionable content posted on their platforms by users. However, Section 79(3) of the IT Act outlines specific circumstances in which this protection does not apply.