live U.S. launches strikes on Iran over Hormuz commercial vessel attack
The UN's International Maritime Organization has paused escort operations through the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo ship was reportedly attacked near...
The European Commission stated that the images of undressed women and children being shared on Elon Musk's social media platform, X, were both unlawful and appalling, joining a growing number of global officials condemning the rise in non-consensual imagery on the site.
This condemnation follows reports, including from Reuters, that X's integrated artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, was producing a flood of on-demand images featuring women and minors in revealing clothing, a function X had previously described as "spicy mode."
The European Commission expressed that it was "very aware" of X's "spicy mode," with spokesperson Thomas Regnier telling reporters: "This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. This is how we see it, and this has no place in Europe."
In the UK, regulator Ofcom demanded on Monday that X explain how Grok was able to generate images of undressed individuals and sexualised images of children, and whether it was failing in its legal obligation to protect users.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the statements from the European Commission or Ofcom. In its previous response to Reuters on the matter, X stated, "Legacy Media Lies." Online, Musk appeared to dismiss concerns over Grok's inappropriate content, posting laughing-so-hard-I'm-crying emojis in response to public figures who had been edited to appear in bikinis.
Ofcom said it was aware of "serious concerns" raised about the feature. "We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK," said a spokesperson.
In Britain, creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated hyper-realistic sexual content, is illegal. Furthermore, tech platforms are required to take action to prevent British users from encountering illegal content and to remove it once they are made aware of it.
These statements from EU and British officials come after French ministers reported X to prosecutors and regulators over the disturbing images, describing the "sexual and sexist" content as "manifestly illegal." Indian authorities have also demanded explanations from X regarding what they termed as obscene material.
Despite the growing international scrutiny over Grok's production of non-consensual images, U.S. federal authorities, under Musk ally Donald Trump, have yet to address the issue. Requests for comment from the Federal Communications Commission went unanswered, while the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice also did not immediately respond.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck Japan's northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.
As Western Europe battles a deadly heatwave that has shattered temperature records, disrupted transport and power supplies, and forced the closure of schools and cultural landmarks, attention is turning to whether El Niño is playing a role in the extreme conditions.
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
The Kremlin has denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming Moscow is pressuring Belarus to support an expanded Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
The United Nations' top human rights official has called for independent investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention facilities, citing a rise in fatalities among people held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
Montenegrin police, working alongside the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested an Iranian national accused of carrying out a series of cyberattacks that allegedly caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure.
South Korea is set to dramatically expand its unmanned warfare capabilities, with plans to integrate drones across all branches of its military as tensions with North Korea continue to shape the country's defence strategy.
Fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to recover following an interim U.S.–Iran agreement aimed at stabilising the waterway after months of disruption during conflict, industry data shows.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment