Malaysia weighs social media rule change after Grok AI uproar
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Billionaire Elon Musk's Grok has been facing mounting criticism after the chatbot created sexualised images of people.
PHOTO: REUTERS
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is reviewing its rules for regulating social media platforms after an outcry over sexualised images of people
The government is looking into changing the minimum user number that requires social media platforms to register for a licence in Malaysia, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in Parliament on Jan 22.
Mr Musk’s X, which hosts Grok, is currently exempt from the licensing framework as it says it does not meet the threshold of at least eight million users in Malaysia, Datuk Fahmi said.
“Given (that) quite a big incident like this has happened, we will review the threshold,” he said in response to questions from lawmakers.
“Online harm does not just cease to exist when there are fewer than eight million users.”
Licensed social media platforms must comply with Malaysia’s legal and regulatory framework, ensuring they bear clear responsibility for user safety, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in December 2025.
ByteDance’s TikTok and Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook are among those with licences.
Malaysia had previously said it would take legal action against X for failing to protect users, and has temporarily banned Grok
Mr Fahmi said on Jan 22 that the government is prepared to lift restrictions on Grok once MCMC verifies that X has addressed the safety concerns.
He added that X representatives told the government in a meeting on Jan 21 that necessary preventive measures on Grok have been implemented.
They also affirmed their commitment and cooperation to prevent the spread of harmful content on X and the Grok app, he said.
“Following the commitment stated in the meeting, I have asked representatives of X to officially confirm the measures that have been implemented,” Mr Fahmi said, adding that the commission would then consider additional action. BLOOMBERG
