Indonesia has set a new global precedent in digital governance. For the first time in the world, a country has decided to fully block an artificial intelligence chatbot—Grok, a product of Elon Musk–owned company xAI—over concerns that it poses a high risk of facilitating the spread of AI-generated fake pornographic content.
The decision places Indonesia at the forefront of international debates on AI ethics, platform freedom, and the protection of human rights in the era of generative technology.
The temporary ban was announced on January 10 by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. The government assessed the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, fake sexual content produced without consent, as a serious violation of human rights, personal dignity, and public safety in the digital space.
The policy was adopted amid growing global scrutiny of Grok, following findings that the chatbot’s image-generation feature could be used to manipulate photos of women and children into sexual content.
Why the State Intervened
Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid emphasized that the blocking measure was taken as a public protection effort, particularly for women and children.
“In order to protect women, children, and the public from the risks of fake pornographic content generated using artificial intelligence technology, the government … has temporarily blocked access to the Grok application,” she said in an official statement.
The government has explicitly classified the misuse of AI to produce fake pornography as a form of digital-based violence. As the world’s fourth-largest population and one of the largest global user bases of X, Indonesia views the risk of such content spreading as systemic, with wide-ranging social and psychological impacts.
The blocking of Grok was carried out under the authority granted by Ministerial Regulation No. 5 of 2020 on Private Electronic System Operators. This regulation empowers the government to restrict access to digital platforms that fail to control prohibited content or are uncooperative with state authorities.
As part of enforcement measures, the Ministry has summoned representatives of X to provide clarification. The government has requested a comprehensive explanation of the negative impacts of Grok’s features and demanded concrete technical measures to prevent future misuse.
The government stressed that the blocking is temporary and fully contingent on the platform’s willingness to implement strict content moderation mechanisms and robust AI ethics standards.
Mounting International Criticism
Indonesia’s move came just one day after xAI restricted Grok’s image creation and editing features to paying subscribers on the X platform. The policy was introduced amid criticism from multiple countries, many of which argue that the restriction fails to address the root of the problem.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer even described the measure as “insulting” to victims.
“That simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “It’s insulting to the victims of misogyny and sexual violence.”
Elon Musk has stated that anyone using Grok to generate illegal content would face the same consequences as those who directly upload prohibited material. However, this statement has done little to quell criticism from European officials and technology advocates, who argue that platform responsibility cannot be shifted entirely onto users.
Indonesia as a Trendsetter
With this decision, Indonesia has become the first country to completely shut down access to Grok, while other nations have so far limited themselves to imposing restrictions or launching investigations.
The government has emphasized that Grok’s future in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest social media markets, will be determined entirely by the platform’s compliance with national laws and its commitment to public safety.
