Privacy Commissioner of Canada expands investigation into social media platform X following reports of AI-generated sexualized deepfake images

Privacy Commissioner of Canada expands investigation into social media platform X following reports of AI-generated sexualized deepfake images

January 15, 2026 - Gatineau, Quebec

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne is expanding his current investigation into X Corp., which operates the popular social media platform X, following reports that the chatbot, Grok, is being used to create explicit images of individuals without their consent.

The Privacy Commissioner has also launched a related investigation into xAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) company responsible for Grok.

The investigations will examine whether X Corp. and xAI are meeting their obligations under Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

The Privacy Commissioner announced the launch of his initial investigation into X Corp. on February 27, 2025, following the receipt of a complaint. The initial investigation sought to assess X Corp.'s compliance with federal privacy law with respect to its collection, use, and disclosure of Canadians' personal information to train AI models.

On January 14, following growing concern and multiple media reports about the platform being used to create and share explicit images, the Privacy Commissioner decided to expand the investigation to address this issue. More specifically, the expanded investigations will consider whether X Corp. and xAI have obtained valid consent from individuals for the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information to create deepfakes, including explicit content, via Grok and whether the companies have collected, used, and disclosed this information in accordance with the Act.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada informed the companies of the investigation on January 14, as per usual process, in advance of making this public announcement.

The Privacy Commissioner has taken note of the subsequent update from the company, communicating its intention to address the matter. This will be taken into consideration by his Office as it proceeds with this investigation.

As the matter involves an active investigation, the OPC is not in a position to provide further details at this time.

Quote

"The use of personal information without consent to create deepfakes, including intimate images, is a growing phenomenon that poses serious risks to individuals' fundamental right to privacy. I have decided to expand my investigation to address this issue given its importance and the potential serious harms that it may cause to Canadians."

Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Related links

• Privacy Commissioner investigation into complaint about social media platform X (News Release)

Media contact

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of [email protected]