Canada investigates X over sexualized deepfakes generated by Grok AI
Canada's privacy regulator expanded its investigation into X in January 2026 after users generated non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes using the platform's Grok AI chatbot. The investigation examines whether X obtained proper consent for using personal information to create deepfakes and whether the company met Canadian federal privacy law obligations.
What happened
Canada's Privacy Commissioner launched an expanded investigation into X on January 15, 2026, following widespread reports that the platform's Grok AI chatbot was generating non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes.
Since late December, non-consensual explicit images generated by AI of women and girls flooded the platform, sparking global outrage and investigations from governments worldwide.
Reported impact
Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne stated that the use of personal information without consent to create deepfakes, including intimate images, poses serious risks to individuals' fundamental right to privacy.
Index analysis
The investigation will examine whether X Corp is meeting its obligations under Canada's federal privacy laws and whether valid consent from individuals was obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information to create deepfakes.
The expanded probe builds on an initial investigation launched in February 2025 into X's compliance with federal privacy law regarding the platform's collection, use and disclosure of Canadians' personal information to train its AI models.
Governance controls
X announced late Wednesday that it would block Grok from generating sexualized and naked images of real people on its platform in certain locations to comply with local laws.
After initially minimizing the scale of the deepfakes issue, X owner Elon Musk said X would restrict the image-generation tool to paying subscribers.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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