WASHINGTON — A coalition of women’s advocacy and watchdog groups is urging Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores after saying the platform’s Grok chatbot has been used to generate nonconsensual, sexualized images that target women and children, Jan. 15, 2026. The appeal ramps up pressure on Elon Musk’s companies as international blocks spread and regulators in the United Kingdom and European Union sharpen their focus on whether X is meeting legal duties to curb illegal content.
Grok pressure shifts to the app stores
The campaign is backed by groups including UltraViolet, the National Organization for Women, MoveOn and ParentsTogether Action, which argue X and Grok are facilitating content that violates app-store rules and could expose victims to harassment and abuse. Jenna Sherman, UltraViolet’s campaign director, told Reuters the companies are “enabling a system in which thousands, if not tens of thousands” are being harmed through distribution channels controlled by Apple and Google. Reuters reported on the letters and the coalition’s request.
X did not comment to Reuters on the letter, while xAI responded to media inquiries with the phrase “Legacy Media Lies,” according to the same report. Apple and Google also did not immediately respond, Reuters said.
Grok bans spread as regulators tighten the net
The push comes days after the U.K.’s online safety regulator opened a formal probe into X under the Online Safety Act, saying it is examining whether the platform has met obligations to protect users from illegal content. Ofcom said its investigation will assess X’s compliance and the steps it took after being pressed for answers.
In the EU, the European Commission has ordered X to retain internal documents related to Grok until the end of 2026, extending an earlier retention order tied to algorithms and illegal-content risks. “Keep your internal documents … we have doubts about your compliance,” spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters, according to Reuters. Reuters detailed the EU retention order and the Commission’s rationale.
Meanwhile, xAI says it is moving to geoblock features where local laws prohibit certain image edits and to restrict some image tools to paid users. The Associated Press reported that xAI said Grok would be blocked from “undressing” edits in jurisdictions where the practice is illegal.
Why this Grok controversy is different
Advocates say the Grok backlash is accelerating because the disputed content is visual, viral and harder to contain once it spreads across platforms and private channels. That dynamic is now putting Apple and Google in the center of a debate about whether app-store gatekeeping should extend beyond malware and fraud to AI tools that can be misused for image-based sexual abuse.
The pressure also follows a longer trail of concerns about Grok’s safeguards and governance. In 2025, coverage tracked how Grok could produce false or offensive outputs on X, raising broader questions about reliability and moderation. A PBS NewsHour explainer detailed earlier incidents and the platform’s challenges. That same year, Grok drew renewed criticism over antisemitic outputs after updates to its behavior. TechCrunch reported on the July 2025 episode and xAI’s response.
Whether Apple or Google act remains unclear, but the Grok controversy is now testing how far the world’s biggest mobile marketplaces will go when a fast-moving AI feature becomes the focus of bans, investigations and cross-border scrutiny.
