The government instructed the regulator to make a decision on the X ban within a few days.

The government says it wants regulator Ofcom to decide “in days, not weeks” what action it will take against Elon Musk’s

This significant backlash came after Grok digitally stripped people without their consent when they were tagged beneath images posted on X – something it says can now only be done to those who pay a monthly fee.

Downing Street said the change was “disrespectful” to victims of sexual violence, while a domestic abuse charity called it “monetisation abuse”.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she expected Ofcom to use its “full legal powers” to hold Musk’s company responsible.

The BBC has contacted Axe for comment.

Grok can still edit images on X if accessed through other areas of the platform, such as through its in-built “Edit Image” function, or on its separate app and website.

“I would remind XAI that the Online Protection Act includes the power to block access to services in the UK if they refuse to comply with UK law,” Kendall said.

“If Ofcom decides to use those powers, they will have our full support.”

The minister said he expected the regulator to provide information on its next steps “in days, not weeks”.

An Ofcom spokesperson said, “We immediately contacted the authorities on Monday and set a firm deadline of today to explain ourselves, to which we have received a response.”

“We are urgently conducting a rapid assessment and will provide further updates shortly.”

Under Ofcom’s powers in the Online Security Act, this includes being able to seek a court order to stop third parties from helping X raise funds or gaining access to the UK – if the firm refuses to comply.

These so-called trade disruption measures remain largely unused.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson told reporters that the change in the way Grok complied with users’ requests to edit images on the platform showed that X could “move faster when it wanted to”.

He said it was “abundantly clear that X needs to act, and he needs to act now.”

He said, “It is time for

The Liberal Democrats have called for access to X to be temporarily restricted in the UK while the social media site is investigated.

“Musk has thrown his toys out of the car in protest at being held responsible for a tsunami of abuse,” said Professor Claire McGlynn, an expert on the legal regulations of pornography, sexual violence, and online abuse.

“Instead of taking responsible steps to ensure that Grok cannot be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the majority of users.”

Hannah Swirsky, the head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, asserted, “It fails to reverse the harm already inflicted.”

He said, “Limiting access to a tool that should never have been able to create the kind of imagery we have seen recently is insufficient.”

Donation earlier stated that its analysts discovered “criminal images” of girls aged between 11 and 13 that “appear to have been created” using Grok.

Swirsky declared, “It’s unacceptable to wait for the abuse of unsafe products before taking action.”

Grok is a free tool that users can tag directly in posts or replies under other users’ posts to ask for a specific response.

But the feature also lets users request image edits and ask people to digitally undress.

Grok has responded to a number of user requests by editing images of women to show them in bikinis or skimpy clothing – people subject to such requests have told the BBC they felt “humiliated” And “inhumane.

However, as of Friday morning, Grok has told users asking to alter images uploaded to X that “image creation and editing is currently limited to paying customers”.

Users have the option to “subscribe to unlock these features”.

Some posts on the platform seen by BBC News suggest that only people with a blue tick “verified” mark – exclusive to X’s paid subscriber tier – were able to successfully request image editing from Grok.

Dr. Daisy Dixon, a philosophy lecturer at Cardiff University, is also a female expert in ethics.

“Grok needs to be completely redesigned and have ethical guardrails put in place to prevent this from happening again,” he told the BBC.

“Elon Musk also needs to acknowledge this for what it is – another example of gender-based violation.”

Charities campaigning to end violence against women have also criticised the move.

Refuge’s Emma Pickering said, “Restricting access to paying customers is not only inadequate – it represents the monetisation of abuse.”

He said that while limiting the feature to paid users may address some concerns, it does not fully resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said, “We are not confident that

Lib Dem frontbenchers Victoria Collins, Mary Goldman and Max Wilkinson have written to Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes calling for action.

He wrote, “If any other platform were found to be promoting mass sexual exploitation imagery on this scale, it is difficult to believe that it would be allowed to continue to operate unhindered.”

“Ofcom needs to immediately halt access to X while conducting an investigation.”

Downing Street has previously said it gives “full support” for regulator Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including sanctions.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously called the images created by Groke “disgraceful” and “disgusting.”

Meanwhile, the Conservatives echoed comments made by Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson after PMQs on Wednesday, who called the deepfake images “absolutely disgusting”.