EU Orders X To Preserve All Grok Documents Through End Of 2026 Amid Concerns Over Illegal Imagery

BRUSSELS, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The European Commission has instructed Elon Musk's social media platform X to preserve all internal documents and data related to its built‑in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok until the end of 2026, a Commission spokesperson said on Thursday.

The move follows the Commission's statement earlier this week that images of undressed women and children circulating on X were unlawful and "appalling," joining officials worldwide who have condemned a recent surge in non‑consensual imagery on the platform.

Retention Order Extended

Spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters the Commission has extended a retention order it sent to X last year. The original order related to the platform's algorithms and the dissemination of illegal content; the extension requires X to keep records and data tied to Grok and related algorithmic systems until at least the end of 2026.

"This is telling 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.

Regnier emphasized that the retention requirement does not mean the Commission has opened a new formal investigation under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA). Rather, the order ensures that potential evidence and internal records remain available should regulators decide to request access and pursue further inquiries.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; editing by Bart Meijer)