Apple has been taking heat for months over the Grok situation, where Elon Musk's chatbot was caught generating non-consensual sexualized imagery of real people. Through all the public outcry early this year, Apple hadn't said a word, however, that has changed. It turns out the company wasn't sitting idle behind the scenes.
Apple privately threatened to pull Grok from the App Store
A letter recently obtained by a new report reveals that Apple found both the X and Grok apps in violation of its App Store guidelines after receiving complaints and news coverage back in January. Apple contacted the teams behind both apps and told them to submit plans for improved content moderation.
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xAI submitted an update to the Grok app, but Apple rejected it because the changes weren't enough. Elon Musk's company then sent revised versions of both apps, and Apple only accepted one.
Grok remains listed on the Apple App Store. | Image by PhoneArena
More Grok revisions
Grok remained out of compliance, so Apple warned the developer the app could be pulled entirely if things weren't fixed. After more back-and-forth, Apple gave the latest submission the green light.
It should be noted that these negotiations help explain the confusing wave of moderation changes xAI rolled out at the height of the backlash. That included restrictions on who could use Grok's image generation tools and limits on edits involving photos of real people.
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Grok's image problem reportedly persists
What makes all of this frustrating is that a separate report published today found Grok continues to generate sexualized images of people without their consent. The volume has gone down since January, but users are still finding workarounds, with dozens of cases documented over the past month.
What gets me personally is the silence. Apple did push back behind closed doors, and that counts for something. But nobody knew until senators forced the information into the open. That sounds more like damage control than accountability.
Apple controls what hundreds of millions of people can install on their phones, so I'd think that if you're going to position yourself as the gatekeeper of the App Store, you should own it publicly. As more apps start integrating image generation tools, this problem is only going to get worse, and private emails that surface only when a senator asks aren't going to cut it.
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Johanna 'Jojo the Techie' is a skilled mobile technology expert with over 15 years of hands-on experience, specializing in the Google ecosystem and Pixel devices. Known for her user-friendly approach, she leverages her vast tech support background to provide accessible and insightful coverage on latest technology trends. As a recognized thought leader and former member of #TeamPixel, Johanna ensures she stays at the forefront of Google services and products, making her a reliable source for all things Pixel and ChromeOS.
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