Ireland's data regulator opens investigation into X's Grok

"In a statement, the Irish DPC said: "The inquiry concerns the apparent creation, and publication on the X platform, of potentially harmful, non-consensual intimate and/or sexualized images, containing or otherwise involving the processing of personal data of EU/EEA data subjects, including children, using generative artificial intelligence functionality associated with the Grok large language model via the Grok account within the X platform.""

"Officials said the inquiry will focus on Grok AI and the nude or nearly nude images users prompted it to create from photographs of people, which could be viewed by others on the platform. X's safety team said in January that it had blocked its Grok tool from making these edits: "We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing...""

""The DPC has been engaging with [X] since media reports first emerged a number of weeks ago concerning the alleged ability of X users to prompt the Grok account on X to generate sexualized images of real people, including children," said deputy commissioner Graham Doyle. "As the lead supervisory authority for [X] across the EU/EEA, the DPC has commenced a large-scale inquiry which will examine [X] compliance with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand.""

The Irish Data Protection Commission launched an inquiry under section 110 of the Data Protection Act 2018 into X's Grok AI after reports that users could prompt it to create nude or nearly nude images from photographs, which could be viewed by others. Officials said the probe will focus on the generation and publication of potentially harmful, non-consensual intimate or sexualized images of EU/EEA data subjects, including children. The DPC will assess whether X complied with GDPR Articles 5, 6, 25, and 35 concerning processing lawfulness, data protection by design and default, and impact assessment requirements. The DPC said it has been engaging with X and commenced a large-scale inquiry.

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