Canada’s privacy commissioner has announced an extension of the investigation into Elon Musk’s X Corp. This move comes after numerous reports surfaced indicating that the company’s AI chatbot, Grok, is being utilized to produce and distribute explicit images of individuals without their consent.
In a statement, Commissioner Philippe Dufresne expressed concerns about the unauthorized use of personal data to generate deepfakes, including intimate imagery. He emphasized the serious risks this trend poses to individuals’ right to privacy and highlighted the necessity of addressing this issue due to its significance and potential harm to Canadians.
The investigation will not only focus on X Corp., the operator of X (formerly Twitter), but also on xAI, the AI company founded by Musk responsible for Grok. The proliferation of sexual deepfakes on X, primarily targeting women and, in some instances, children, has sparked global outrage. While the technology to create such content is not new, X made it easily accessible by allowing users to request Grok to manipulate images directly on the platform.
X recently updated Grok to prevent the editing of images featuring real people in revealing attire like bikinis. These restrictions apply to all users, including paid subscribers, who can still edit images via their Grok accounts on the X platform but are subject to accountability measures for any misuse.
In response to these developments, Minister Evan Solomon stated that Canada was not contemplating a ban on X, a sentiment Musk praised, sharing the announcement on the platform along with supportive emojis. However, Malaysia and Indonesia have announced plans to block access to Grok, while a similar action is being considered in the U.K.
Dufresne’s office revealed that the investigation has been expanded to assess whether X Corp. and xAI properly obtained consent from individuals whose personal information was used to create deepfakes, including explicit content. This investigation follows the initial probe launched in February 2025 to scrutinize X’s compliance with Canada’s Privacy Act regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Canadians’ personal information for AI model training.