MCMC temporarily blocks access to Grok

THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today temporarily blocked access to the artificial intelligence (AI) platform Grok for users in the country.

MCMC in a statement said the ban was due to repeated abuse of Grok to generate pornographic content, sexually explicit content, extremely offensive indecent content and manipulated images without consent.

"This includes content involving women and children, although regulatory action has been issued to X Corp and xAI LLC," the statement said, today.

According to the statement, MCMC had also issued notices to X Corp and xAI LLC on January 3 and 8.

It said the notice demanded, among other things, the implementation of effective technical protection measures and content oversight to prevent AI-generated content that may violate Malaysian laws, including Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

"However, the response submitted by X Corp on 7 and 9 January 2026 only focused on the user-initiated reporting mechanism and failed to address the inherent risks that arise from the design and operation of the AI ​​tool.

"MCMC finds that this is insufficient to prevent harm and ensure compliance with the law," it said.

The restrictions were imposed as a reasonable precautionary measure while the legislative and regulatory process is still ongoing.

"The access restrictions to Grok will remain in place until effective protection measures are implemented, particularly to prevent content involving women and children.

"MCMC remains open to engaging with X Corp and xAI LLC, subject to demonstrable compliance with national laws.

"The public is urged to report harmful online content to MCMC immediately and, if necessary, file a police report with the Royal Malaysian Police," it said.

In addition to Malaysia, Indonesia has also temporarily blocked access to Grok, Elon Musk's AI tool that is now integrated with the X platform.

The move comes after concerns were raised about pornographic content and sexual deepfakes generated by AI. – January 11, 2026