A court in Turkey has decided to block access to some of the content of the Grok chatbot, developed by Elon Musk's xAI.
This followed government claims that the chatbot was generating responses that allegedly insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and religious values.
Grok Content Blocked in Turkey
The Ankara prosecutor's office has opened a criminal case into possible violations of the law, which provides for imprisonment for up to four years.
Now watching
This is the first time in Turkey that AI-generated content has been banned at the state level. The Information Technology and Communications Authority of Turkey (BTK) imposed the ban following a court ruling.
Yaman Akdeniz, a cyber law expert at Istanbul Bilgi University, said authorities had identified about 50 Grok responses as grounds for investigation, and the decision to block access and remove certain content was made to “protect public order.”
“Türkiye has become the first country to introduce censorship against Grok,” he wrote on the social network X.
In recent years, Turkish authorities have significantly increased their control over social media content, detaining individuals for their posts, investigating companies, and restricting or blocking access to certain sites.
Opponents say the moves are aimed at silencing criticism, while authorities say they are defending public order and the dignity of state institutions.
