CYBERJAYA, Jan 16 — Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and social media platform X representatives will meet on January 21 to discuss online safety issues, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said this includes the Grok artificial intelligence (AI) app, as well as concerns about the potential misuse of Grok to generate pornographic and explicit content that violates national laws.
“For Grok, we have identified several ways that it can still be misused. We hope X can make several improvements to restrict the misuse of explicit content, which violates the country’s laws.
“We have seen that X has given good cooperation and is open to holding discussions,” Fahmi, who is also Madani Government spokesman, told Bernama and RTM after delivering an address to Information Department (JAPEN) staff here today.
On Sunday, MCMC ordered a temporary ban on access to Grok for users in Malaysia, which took effect the same day.
According to the MCMC, this was due to the repeated misuse of Grok to generate pornographic and explicit content, as well as the presence of obscene material and non-consensual manipulated images involving women and children, despite regulatory notices issued to X Corp and xAI LLC.
On Wednesday, MCMC was quoted as saying it is considering legal action against X Corp and xAI LLC following their failure to ensure the safety of users in Malaysia in relation to the use of Grok.
Fahmi said all social media platforms have started discussions with MCMC regarding proposals to limit the use of social media to users aged 16 and above.
He said the discussions are currently focused on the technical issues and the implementation mechanism for the ban, which is still under review.
“We expect its implementation to take place in the coming months, but the exact date will be determined before I make any announcement,” he added.
He also said that several other platforms, which were initially not included in the target group, have stated their readiness to be involved voluntarily.
“I feel that it’s not the right time to name these platforms, but I view this as a good effort by the platforms, which proactively wish to understand the government’s efforts to ensure a safer internet, especially for children,” said Fahmi.
