Senate Democrats urge Apple, Google to remove X over AI-generated sexual images

Three Senate Democrats have called on Apple and Google to remove X and its chatbot Grok from their app stores over the generation and spread of explicit non-consensual images of women and children.

Asking to enforce their app stores’ terms of service against X, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico urged Apple and Google to remove the apps until X’s policy violations are resolved.

In an open letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the Senators describe how people “have used the app’s Grok AI tool to generate nonconsensual sexual imagery of real, private citizens at scale”. They’re also referencing cases of sexualized images involving children, as well as harmful material showcasing humiliation, abuse, and even murder of women.

“What is more, X has reportedly encouraged this behavior, including through the company’s CEO Elon Musk acknowledging this trend with laugh-cry emoji reactions,” the Senators say.

Because of a discovered Grok app archive containing nearly 100 images of potential child sexual abuse materials generated since August, the Senators say that “there can be no mistake about X’s knowledge, and, at best, negligent response to these trends.”

They quote Google’s terms of service, which explicitly require apps to prohibit disturbing content, while Apple’s terms of service do not allow apps to include “offensive” or “just plain creepy” content.

“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation Practice,” the Senators suggest.

According to them, not taking action would undermine Google’s and Apple’s claims in public and in court that their app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones.

“This principle has been core to your advocacy against legislative reforms to increase app store competition and your defenses to claims that your app stores abuse their market power through their payment systems,” they suggest.

The Senators cite an example of both companies quickly removing apps (like ICEBlock and Red Dot) that allowed users to report immigration enforcement activities under pressure from the Department of Homeland Security, which, they claim, demonstrates Google’s and Apple’s ability to act quickly when necessary.

Google and Apple are expected to take a similarly swift approach and provide a written response to the letter by January 23rd, 2026.

Just on Saturday, it was announced that the UK is considering blocking X, with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall saying she would support Ofcom’s move to block the platform if it fails to comply with UK online safety laws.

In turn, Indonesia took a more proactive approach – and temporarily blocked access to Grok the same day. Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said that “the government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space.”