Apple and Google are being dragged into the ongoing uproar over X’s AI chatbot, which this week has continued to literally strip women in images without their consent.
one in Letter Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai that “These harmful and potentially illegal depictions of women and children by Generation एक्स उपयोगकर्ताओं ने ऐसे कई मामलों की पहचान की है जहां ग्रोक ने एआई-निर्मित छवियों में स्पष्ट नाबालिगों को निर्वस्त्र किया या उनका यौन शोषण किया।
The senator points to the App Store’s own policies as to why the app should be removed. Google’s terms of service say they will be punished if apps fail to prevent users from “creating, uploading, or distributing material that promotes the exploitation or abuse of children” or portrays children “in a manner that could lead to the sexual exploitation of children.” Apple prohibits apps that are “offensive” or “downright creepy.” Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether X was complying with their policies and whether they planned to remove the app.
The lawmakers wrote that failing to remove X from the App Store would show a double standard, and undermine the companies’ argument for their control over the App Store. Following government pressure, both companies removed ICEBlock and Red Dot from their stores. The apps were used to anonymously report sightings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. “Contrary to Grok’s hateful content generation, these apps were not creating or hosting harmful or illegal content, and yet, based solely on the Administration’s claims that they pose a threat to immigration enforcement, you removed them from your store,” the senators wrote.
They also warned that inaction would “undermine your claims both publicly and in court that your App Stores provide users with a more secure user experience than downloading apps directly to their phones. This principle has been core to your advocacy against legislative reforms to increase App Store competition and your defense of claims that your App Stores abuse their market power through their payment systems.”
