UK officials could be barred from the US if a plan to ban Elon Musk’s social media platform X goes ahead in the UK.
This comes after increasing concerns in the use of X’s AI tool, called Grok, to generate sexualised images of people and remove clothes in photos.
Last night it was announced that the UK government will bring into force a law making it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images in order to tackle this deepfake issue.
READ NEXT: Keir Starmer personally ‘boycotting’ X over Grok AI deepfakes
Technology secretary Liz Kendall told the Commons on Monday that the law would make it illegal for companies to supply the tools designed to create such images.
She said AI-generated pictures of women and children in states of undress, created without a person’s consent, were not “harmless images” but “weapons of abuse”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already asked media regulator Ofcom for “all options to be on the table”.
The government is particularly concerned by the possibility it is being used to create sexualised images of children.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: “This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated… Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this.”
“It’s unlawful. We’re not going to tolerate it. I’ve asked for all options to be on the table.”
However, US officials have now said that they will ban UK officials from the US if the UK does indeed block X, as per The Telegraph, claiming they have the “right to up the ante”.
The paper reported that a state department source said that “UK officials could face being barred from the US over plans to ban X”, while Ofcom staff could also suffer the same fate.
These sources are not the only Americans to voice discontent over the potential X ban, with US Representative Anna Paulina Luna threatening last week to place sanctions on Starmer if he proceeds to ban X.
In a post on X, the congresswoman wrote: “If Starmer is successful in banning X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole.
“This would mirror actions previously taken by the United States in response to foreign governments restricting the platform, including the dispute with Brazil in 2024–2025, which resulted in tariffs, visa revocations, and sanctions and consequences tied to free speech concerns against Brazilian officials over concerns related to censorship and free-speech violations.
“Starmer should reconsider this course of action, or there will be consequences. There are always technical bugs during the early phases of new technology, especially AI, and those issues are typically addressed quickly. X treats these matters seriously and acts promptly.
“Let’s be clear: this is not about technical compliance. This is a political war against Elon Musk and free speech—nothing more.”
Government sources told BBC News: “We would expect Ofcom to use all powers at its disposal in regard to Grok and X.”
Now, changes have been made to the AI, making the photo editing feature limited to only paying Grok users.
According to a message displayed by the chatbot: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”
Users who pay for a premium X account have to attach their name and payment information, meaning people who abuse its features can be easier traced.
Last week, Ofcom said it had made “urgent contact” with X and xAI, which built Grok, and told the BBC it was investigating concerns.
The much-talked-about Online Safety Act could be once again put into use help fight Grok and X, allowing for fines of billions of pounds or even blocking access to X in Britain.
It is currently illegal to share deepfakes of adults, external in the UK.
In an earlier statement, X said: “Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”