The European Commission has ordered X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, to retain all internal documents and data linked to its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, until the end of 2026.
The order comes amid mounting regulatory concern over the spread of unlawful and nonconsensual imagery generated or circulated through the platform.
A commission spokesperson said the directive extends a previous retention order focused on algorithms and the dissemination of illegal content.
Officials emphasized that the measure is intended to preserve evidence and does not represent the opening of a new formal investigation under the Digital Services Act.
According to the Commission, the decision reflects doubts about X’s compliance with European Union rules governing online platforms.
Spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the order ensures documents are not destroyed while regulators assess whether access may be required.
"This is saying to a platform, keep your internal documents, don't get rid of them, because we have doubts about your compliance... and we need to be able to have access to them if we request it explicitly," Regnier said.
The Commission earlier described images of undressed women and children circulating on X as unlawful and appalling.
The retention requirement applies specifically to Grok-related materials and internal data.
Separately, the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation warned that Grok has been used to create sexualised imagery of children.
The watchdog said users on a dark web forum claimed to have generated images of girls aged between 11 and 13 using Grok Imagine.
IWF analysts stated the material would be classified as child sexual abuse material under UK law.
“We can confirm our analysts have discovered criminal imagery of children aged between 11 and 13 which appears to have been created using the tool,” said Ngaire Alexander, head of the IWF hotline.
The misuse of Grok has triggered public condemnation and political responses in the United Kingdom.
The House of Commons women and equalities committee announced it would stop using X for official communications.
UK authorities said regulators have the power to impose heavy fines or restrict access if platforms fail to protect users.
X has said it takes action against illegal content by removing material, suspending accounts, and cooperating with law enforcement.