Elon Musk's X must be banned (and what are the chances?)

[usonian]

https://disconnect.blog/elon-musks-x-must-be-banned/

Let’s be honest with ourselves: if a broadcaster or newspaper had started publishing thousands of non-consensual, sexually explicit images of women or — even worse — of children, politicians and regulators would be out for blood. It would be a front-page, ongoing scandal and the organization responsible would be quickly brought to heel because it would be so outrageous.

But when Elon Musk and his chatbot Grok do it, there’s somehow little more than crickets. Politicians are alarmed and say something needs to be done, but can’t quite say what that something is. Regulators say they’re investigating, as thousands more women and children are victimized while the richest man in the world continues treating the whole situation like a big game — or simulation.

Since Musk took over Twitter and mutated it into X back in 2022, the platform has taken a hard turn to the right, blasting conspiratorial and right-wing opinions into its users feed and encouraging the kind of vile discourses Musk seems to delight in consuming and engaging with. It has restored far-right accounts and sought to explicitly shape the narratives on issues to align with Musk’s increasingly extreme political positions.

There has been reason to take action against X for a long time. But if spinning up a chatbot that enables the creation of child pornography and for any user to undress any woman on the platform at their whim isn’t enough to finally ban it, what will ever force regulators and political leaders to take action?

more ....

Note that X's response has been to "take down" material and ban posters, but NOT to alter the Grok engine that does the dirty work.

Because "software has rights that people don't have?" (My quote)

ADDED: (highlight is mine)
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/09/grok-image-generator-outcry-sexualised-ai-imagery
Holy WTF?

Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery

Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action
Helena Horton, Dan Milmo and Amelia Gentleman
Fri 9 Jan 2026 04.47 EST

Grok, Elon Musk’s AI tool, has switched off its image creation function for the vast majority of users after a widespread outcry about its use to create sexually explicit and violent imagery.

The move comes after Musk was threatened with fines, regulatory action and reports of a possible ban on X in the UK.

The tool had been used to manipulate images of women to remove their clothes and put them in sexualised positions. The function to do so has been switched off except for paying subscribers.

Posting on X, Musk’s social media network, Grok said: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”

Hacker News discussion:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551238

The common reply is:
So only PAYING customers can make CSAM and distribute it openly. Nice one.

Capitalism, Comrade!

SECOND ADDITION
FT has an article on the people behind "X", shown as clowns.
I can't tell who actually asked for the attire, because "anything goes" at that madhouse.
https://www.ft.com/content/ad94db4c-95a0-4c65-bd8d-3b43e1251091
Archived: https://archive.is/UnFJR

Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter
A look inside Elon Musk’s big tent

Why not just change it to "Rated X"?
Inquiring minds want to know
Without going to that cesspool.

[Scrivener7]

1. OR people of goodwill can simply stop using it. Not quite as good, but it is something we can do.

[Wednesdays]

3. Yeah, I'm not sure we can "ban" X without violating the First Amendment

However, the First Amendment doesn't protect the non-consensual sexual images, so there's that.

[leftstreet]

2. We're all just waiting him out

As soon as he OD's on ketamine, or unalives himself in some manner, hopefully X can go back to being normal Twitter

[RockRaven]

4. Spread the word: anyone still using Xitter is a pedo.

[usonian]

5. Apparently only PAYING users?

What a shitshow.

I totally avoid.

[gulliver]

6. Nope. Free speech on all platforms is important

I do think that social media should be banned for minors. It's just bad for them. (It's bad for adults too, but adults need freedom to do things that are bad for them and good for them.)

I would like to see user authentication and validation done to a level that makes posts difficult or impossible to repudiate. People should be afraid to post illegal material. The democracy, through its laws and due process, might have to make serious and severe examples of a few miscreants to get the others to crawl back into the woodwork.

[2naSalit]

7. He's just doing his part...

In dismantling society and destroying all sense of decency.

[LudwigPastorius]

8. Not banned by law, but banned by every website with any sense of what it is and what it is doing to our country.

(Hint, hint, EarlG.)