Women's and Advocacy Groups Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok from App Stores

Grok can still generate images of women in bikinis (fok. screenshot of voi)

JAKARTA - A coalition of women's groups, technology watchdogs, and progressive activists is urging Apple and Alphabet's subsidiary Google to remove the X social media platform and its related chatbot, Grok, from their app stores.

In an open letter published on January 14, the coalition accused Elon Musk's app of generating illegal content that violated Apple and Google's terms of service.

This push is supported by a number of organizations, including the feminist group UltraViolet, the National Organization for Women, the liberal group MoveOn, as well as the advocacy organization ParentsTogether Action.

The move is aimed at increasing pressure on Musk after Grok began producing images of women and children that are sexual, degrading, or contain elements of violence.

"We really implore Apple and Google to take this very seriously," said UltraViolet Campaign Director Jenna Sherman, quoted by VOI from Reuters. "They have enabled a system where thousands, even tens of thousands of people, especially women and children, are sexually harassed with the help of their own app stores."

X did not respond to a request for comment regarding the letter. Its parent company, xAI, which operates Grok, responded with a brief statement: "Legacy Media Lies."

Apple and Google have also not responded to a number of requests for comment regarding X and Grok.

The spotlight on X and Grok has continued to increase after the platform was flooded with hyper-realistic images of women and minors in skimpy clothing on New Year's Eve.

Malaysia and Indonesia have banned Grok for its explicit content, while authorities in Europe and the UK have announced investigations or demanded explanations.

Separately, a number of organizations and figures have begun to withdraw from X. On January 13, the American Federation of Teachers announced its withdrawal from the social media platform due to the circulation of indecent images of children produced by Grok.

Although X has adjusted the chatbot's behavior so that the images produced or edited by Grok are not displayed in the public timeline, a VOI test of Grok on January 14 showed that the chatbot was still able to produce a version of a person's photo in a bikini at the user's request.

Sherman said that although Apple and Google often expressed their commitment to child protection, the way they handled the X case would show "what values they actually hold in practice".