India Cracks Down on X: Platform Deletes Accounts and Vows to Ban Obscenity Following Grok AI Controversy
Major studies have found that fake or spam accounts on X can constitute 20-23% of the followers for prominent figures, with some accounts that purchase followers seeing bot rates of 50% or more.
RMN Digital Social Media Desk
New Delhi | January 11, 2026
NEW DELHI — Social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter, has reportedly admitted to “mistakes” in its content moderation and pledged to align its operations with Indian law following a high-stakes standoff with the Indian government. According to reports, the platform has deleted over 600 accounts and blocked approximately 3,500 posts that were found to be in violation of local regulations.
The Grok AI Trigger
The immediate catalyst for the government’s intervention was the misuse of Grok, X’s integrated AI chatbot. The tool recently gained notoriety for a viral and “creepy” trend involving the generation of bikini-clad images. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) expressed serious concerns that Grok was being utilized to generate and circulate vulgar, sexually explicit, and synthetic images that specifically targeted the dignity and privacy of women.
On January 2, according to an India Today report, MeitY issued a formal ultimatum giving the platform 72 hours to comply with statutory obligations. The Ministry warned that failure to remove unlawful content would result in X losing its “safe harbour” protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which currently shields the platform from legal liability for content posted by its users.
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Commitment to Indian Law
In an Action Taken Report submitted to the government, it is learnt that X confirmed it has initiated corrective measures. The platform assured authorities that it will no longer allow obscene imagery and is conducting a comprehensive technical and governance-level review of the Grok AI tool. Government sources indicate that X has promised to strengthen platform-level safeguards to prevent future dissemination of such content.
A Broader Pattern of “Digital Decay”
This regulatory crackdown comes amid rising concerns regarding the overall health of the platform, often referred to as “digital decay”. Researchers have noted that vulgarity and obscene short videos have increased manifold over the last two years.
Furthermore, the platform continues to struggle with its “fake follower” problem. While X has historically claimed in official filings that spam accounts make up less than 5% of its user base, independent researchers suggest the reality is much higher. Major studies have found that fake or spam accounts on X can constitute 20-23% of the followers for prominent figures, with some accounts that purchase followers seeing bot rates of 50% or more.
Think of a social media platform’s “safe harbour” protection as a legal umbrella. As long as the platform follows the government’s rules for cleaning up illegal content, the government allows it to stay dry and protected from lawsuits regarding what users post. However, if the platform ignores warnings to fix safety issues, the government can “fold the umbrella,” leaving the company fully exposed to the legal storms and penalties of the courtroom.
