Canada privacy violation found in Grok deepfake image generation; UK lawsuit filed
Canada's privacy commissioner found that xAI's Grok violated federal privacy law by generating sexualised deepfake images without user consent. A British MP subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging Grok created non-consensual intimate images of her, and regulators in the UK and EU are investigating the platform's content moderation practices.
What happened
xAI's Grok image generation tool created and shared sexualised deepfake images of real people without their consent, according to Canada's Privacy Commissioner following a January 2026 probe.
British MP Jess Asato filed a legal claim in London's High Court against xAI after Grok allegedly generated fake sexualised images of her, including images showing her in a bikini, after she publicly criticised deepfake pornography.
Reported impact
The generated deepfake images harmed the privacy and dignity of real people, including a public figure, by creating non-consensual sexualised synthetic media.
Index analysis
Canada's Privacy Commissioner found that xAI violated federal private sector privacy law by launching Grok without implementing appropriate safeguards from the outset.
Ofcom launched an investigation in January 2026 into whether Grok adequately prevented creation of deepfake sexualised images. The European Commission also condemned the spread of explicit content on the platform.
Governance controls
xAI committed to regularly monitoring for sexualised deepfakes before an incident is reported, not just in response to incidents. The company rolled out changes to prevent users from editing images of real people in revealing clothing.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.