Ofcom provides update on its ongoing investigation into X

Ofcom the UK regulator was one of the first regulators in the world to act on concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share demeaning sexual deepfakes of real people, including children, which may amount to criminal offences.

After contacting X on 5 January, giving it a chance to explain how these images had been shared at such scale, Ofcom moved quickly to launch a formal investigation on 12th January 2026 into whether the company had done enough to assess and mitigate the risk of this imagery spreading on its social media platform, and to take it down quickly where it was identified.

Since then, X has said it has implemented measures to try and address the issue. Ofcom have been in close contact with the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is launching its own investigation. Other jurisdictions have also launched investigations in the weeks since Ofcom opened theirs, including the European Commission on 26th January 2026.  

The Ofcom investigation remains ongoing and they continue to work closely with the ICO and others to ensure tech firms keep users safe and protect their privacy.  

Ofcom’s investigation into X, is currently gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether X has broken the law, including using their formal information-gathering powers. The week after they launched their investigation, they sent legally binding information requests to X, to make sure they have the information they need from the company, and further requests continue to be sent. 

Firms are required, by law, to respond to all such requests from Ofcom in an accurate, complete and timely way, and they can expect to face fines if they fail to do so. 

Ofcom said they must give any company they investigate a full opportunity to make representations on there case. If, based on the evidence, they consider that the company has failed to comply with its legal duties, they will issue a provisional decision setting out their views and the evidence upon which they are relying. The company will then have an opportunity to respond to the findings in full, as required by the Act, before Ofcom make their final decision.