{"id":678662,"date":"2026-01-06T23:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/678662\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T23:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:10:09","slug":"german-minister-calls-for-eu-legal-steps-over-grok-images-on-musks-x","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/678662\/","title":{"rendered":"German minister calls for EU legal steps over Grok images on Musk&#8217;s X"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul data-testid=\"Summary\" class=\"summary-module__summary__QjADA\">\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">Nonconsensual imagery on X causes concern in Europe<\/li>\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">German minister urges EU to take legal action<\/li>\n<li data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf summary-module__point__UgXPz\">Digital ministry says it&#8217;s committed to DSA compliance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>BERLIN, Jan 6 (Reuters) &#8211; German media minister Wolfram Weimer urged the European Commission on Tuesday to take legal action to stop what he called the &#8220;industrialisation of sexual harassment&#8221; taking place on Elon Musk&#8217;s social media platform X.<\/p>\n<p>Weimer joins other European officials and bodies, including the European Union&#8217;s executive body, in raising concerns about a surge in nonconsensual imagery on the platform.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"promo-box\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf article-body-module__promo-box__hVl8h\"> Sign up  <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/german-minister-says-eu-must-take-legal-steps-stop-groks-sexualised-ai-photos-2026-01-06\/undefined?location=article-paragraph&amp;redirectUrl=%2Fworld%2Fgerman-minister-says-eu-must-take-legal-steps-stop-groks-sexualised-ai-photos-2026-01-06%2F\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The condemnation follows reporting, <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/litigation\/grok-says-safeguard-lapses-led-images-minors-minimal-clothing-x-2026-01-02\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">including from Reuters<\/a>, that X&#8217;s built-in artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, was unleashing on-demand images of women and minors in skimpy clothing &#8211; a functionality X has in the past referred to as &#8220;spicy mode&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What we are currently observing on X looks like the industrialisation of sexual harassment,&#8221; Weimer told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is now crucial that the EU Commission continues to enforce this (legal framework) as rigorously as it has already begun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In its last message to Reuters on the matter, X said: &#8220;Legacy Media Lies.&#8221; Online, Musk has shrugged off the concerns over Grok&#8217;s undressing spree, posting laughing-so-hard-I&#8217;m-crying emojis in response to public figures edited to look like they were in bikinis.<\/p>\n<p>CHALLENGE IS PRIMARILY ENFORCEMENT, MINISTRY SAYS<\/p>\n<p>The European Union&#8217;s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content, provides all the necessary tools to ensure consistent application of EU law, Weimer said.<\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s digital ministry, which is responsible for DSA enforcement through the federal network regulator, said in a statement sent to Reuters that it was committed to DSA compliance and urged everyone to use its reporting rights.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The challenge at present is primarily to enforce the various &#8211; in some cases new &#8211; rights more consistently and to actually make use of them,&#8221; a ministry spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Anyone who creates or distributes such images without consent is committing a serious violation of personal rights and may be liable to prosecution in many cases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/britain-demands-elon-musks-grok-answers-concerns-about-sexualised-photos-2026-01-05\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">European Commission said<\/a> on Monday the images of undressed women and children being shared across X were unlawful and appalling. British regulator Ofcom demanded X explain how Grok was able to produce such images and asked whether it was failing in its legal duty to protect users.<\/p>\n<p>X did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the European Commission&#8217;s or Ofcom&#8217;s statements.<\/p>\n<p>Ministers <a data-testid=\"Link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/french-ministers-report-groks-sex-related-content-x-platform-prosecutors-2026-01-02\/\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__inherit-color__PhuPF text-module__inherit-font__1P1hv text-module__inherit-size__EyiQW link-module__link__INqxZ link-module__underline_default__-okuC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in France<\/a> have reported to prosecutors content generated by Grok on X, and Indian officials have demanded explanations from X over what they described as obscene content.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. federal government has yet to address the issue.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"SignOff\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__extra_small__8Buss body-module__full_width__kCIGb body-module__extra_small_body__Bfz20 sign-off-module__text__LQAMP\">Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Madeline Chambers and Timothy Heritage<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"Body\" dir=\"ltr\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__regular__qJJtA text-module__small__sph8i body-module__base__o--Cl body-module__small_body__gOmDf article-body-module__element__5eCce article-body-module__trust-badge__5mS3f\">Our Standards: <a data-testid=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonreuters.com\/en\/about-us\/trust-principles.html\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"text-module__text__0GDob text-module__dark-grey__UFC18 text-module__medium__2Rl30 text-module__small__sph8i link-module__link__INqxZ 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