Northern Ireland politician quits X over deepfake abuse and AI safety concerns

A Northern Ireland politician who was targeted in a deepfake video four years ago has announced she is leaving Elon Musk’s social media platform X, citing what she describes as a “complete negligence in protecting women and children online.”

Cara Hunter, a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), said her decision was prompted by growing concerns over deepfake imagery generated by X’s artificial intelligence tool, Grok, and the platform’s handling of harmful content.

Her announcement comes as UK media regulator Ofcom opens a formal investigation into X to determine whether the company has complied with its legal duties under the Online Safety Act.

‘Morally and ethically I can’t stay’

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ms Hunter said Grok represented everything that had gone wrong on the platform.

“Grok is just the epitome of how disgraceful X has become,” she said.
“Morally and in good conscience, from an ethical perspective, I do not think I can continue to use this site.”

Ms Hunter, who represents East Londonderry, was herself the victim of a deepfake video in which her face was digitally superimposed onto another person’s body. The video circulated widely on social media in the run-up to the 2022 Stormont election.

“Any platform that contributes to the creation of false imagery of women using their likeness without consent, particularly sexual imagery, is an absolute disgrace,” she said.

She added that the tone and culture of X had deteriorated, allowing “so many derogatory comments towards women” to flourish.

Political support for regulation

Ms Hunter said she supported government intervention to regulate AI tools and online platforms.

“I think intervention is a good idea, given the lack of guardrails and safeguarding for women and children specifically,” she said.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill also welcomed Ofcom’s investigation, describing the situation as “disgraceful and disgusting”.

“X have been woefully inadequate in terms of their response,” Ms O’Neill said.
“Where social media companies fail to act, then governments should step in.”

She confirmed that discussions were ongoing with Justice Minister Naomi Long about further action.

Ofcom investigation and possible sanctions

Ofcom said it had urgently contacted X and set a deadline of Friday 9 January for the company to explain how it is meeting its obligations to protect UK users.

The regulator has now launched a formal investigation to assess whether X has breached the Online Safety Act.

If found in violation, Ofcom has the power to impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of the company’s global revenue, whichever is greater. In extreme cases, it can seek court orders to restrict access to the platform in the UK.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said she would support Ofcom if it decides to block access to X, a move Elon Musk has criticised as an attempt to find “any excuse for censorship”.

Growing political backlash

Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said there was a clear vulnerability across social media platforms regarding the spread of explicit and engineered content.

He called for a UK-wide regulatory framework that addresses both existing platforms and future AI technologies.

The Green Party of Northern Ireland has also announced it will stop using X.

“The platform has repeatedly failed to fully deal with child sexual abuse material, deepfake abuse and coordinated disinformation,” said Belfast city councillor Brian Smyth, adding that the failures were “structural, not accidental”.

X response and wider concerns

In a statement posted on X last week, the company said it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing posts, suspending accounts and working with law enforcement.

“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” the statement said.

However, critics have pointed to the platform’s recent decision to restrict Grok’s image-generation feature to paying users, a move Downing Street described as “insulting” to victims of sexual violence.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the use of AI to create non-consensual sexual images, calling it “disgraceful” and “disgusting”.

As pressure mounts, Ofcom has warned it will not hesitate to use its full enforcement powers if platforms fail to protect users particularly women and children from online harm.

Source: BBC

Also read: Ofcom probes Elon Musk’s X over alleged misuse of AI tool Grok to create sexualised images

Also read: Grok AI Backlash: Government Accused of Delaying Deepfake Law

Also read: Jess Asato says AI-manipulated image left her feeling violated as government moves to ban nudification tools