‘Get the f**k off there’: MPs, Senators call on government to abandon X/Twitter following wave of ‘Grok porn’

A proliferation of sexual deepfakes on X has prompted other countries to investigate Grok, the platform’s AI software, but, so far, Ottawa remains silent. As Canadians gathered last week to ring in a new calendar year, Alberta Senator Paula Simons was celebrating for an entirely different reason. “This January is my third anniversary of quitting Twitter,” said Simons in an interview with The Hill Times. “And I have had very few regrets.” Simons, who joined the then-nascent social media platform in 2009, left Twitter (and her ~70,000 followers) after American billionaire Elon Musk purchased the website—now known as ‘X’—in 2022, citing an uptick in hateful content, disinformation, and general abuse toward public figures. “With the amount of sexist abuse and antisemitic abuse … I was beginning to realize that the people I was arguing with weren’t real Canadians… or even real people,” she said. “So, why am I going to give my intellectual property away to a site designed to bring out the worst in people?” Nowadays, you can find Simons on alternative platforms like Mastodon or Bluesky, but she’s kept up-to-date with the happenings of her previously preferred social media website. In particular, she’s become disturbed by Grok, an artificial intelligence (AI) software developed by the Musk-founded company xAI, which has been widely embedded in the platform’s user interface. Grok, launched in November 2023, has become a consistent source of controversy, over its focus on ‘white genocide’ in South Africa in previous responses, its self-characterization as ‘MechaHitler,’ and other improprieties. In recent weeks, Grok has attracted negative attention across the globe for its habit of acquiescing to user requests for non-consensual images that use AI to undress or sexualize pictures posted to the platform, resulting in a proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes across the website. A social media post from U.S. billionaire Elon Musk (screenshot). Those victimized have mostly included adult women, though the non-profit organization AI Forensics recently conducted a study of 50,000 relevant posts and determined two per cent of non-consensual images appeared to feature people under the age of 18, as reported by The Guardian. “It’s disgusting,” said Simons. “There is no redemption for that site.” “If you’re still there, maybe Grok porn isn’t a dealbreaker for you, but then I don’t know what a dealbreaker would be” she said. On Jan. 2, Musk appeared to make light of the situation by reposting an AI-generated picture of a toaster in a bikini, writing that he “couldn’t stop laughing about this one.” The Tesla CEO has since said that “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.” Government is ‘subsidizing’ X with IP: Simons Simons said she understands why people might have a difficult time leaving the platform formerly known as Twitter (“I loved it and I was addicted,” she said), but she contends Grok’s recent actions show there’s no reason for government figures to continue using the site for official communications. “What I would like to see is the federal government get off X,” said Simons. “Like, why is Mark Carney posting statements on there? Why are we subsidizing it with government intellectual property?” “It doesn’t make any sense to me.” Currently, Carney (Nepean, Ont.) is active on a variety of social media platforms, including Bluesky and Facebook, though the prime minister still uses X (580,000 followers) for everything from issuing official statements to commenting on sporting events. All 28 members of cabinet are also still on X. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Battle River–Crowfoot, Alta.) has 1.4 million followers on X, NDP interim leader Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, B.C.) has 21,500 followers, and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil-Chambly, Que.) has 53,400 followers, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) has 283,500 followers on X. A lot of MPs, political staffers, Hill media, lobbyists, diplomats, leading academics, pollsters, and more are still active on X. “What are we doing?” asked Simons, adding that she’s spent “much political capital” convincing her colleagues in the Independent Senators Group to abandon the platform. “It’s simple: get the f**k off there.” Simons isn’t alone, as NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Que.), who left X for Bluesky approximately one year ago, said everyone who “believes in democracy, respect and dialogue should stop using X. NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice speaks to reporters in the House of Commons foyer Sept. 25, 2025 (Photo: Andrew Meade/Hill Times Publishing). “I have no interest in continuing to support that platform,” Boulerice said in an interview with The Hill Times. “After Elon Musk bought Twitter…, we decided not to use X anymore because we see it as a threat to democracy and respect to human rights.” NDP leadership candidate Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.) remains active on X, but a source who asked to remain anonymous said she plans to gradually transition away from the platform, while Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Ont.) said he has “consciously” been using the site less in recent weeks. “My own mental health is much better for not being there,” said Gerretsen in an interview. “I hate to make it about Elon Musk, but ever since he’s taken over the platform it’s just gotten worse and worse.” Following the wave of deepfakes on Musk’s platform, regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom, India and other countries opened investigations into Grok, but, so far, no such action has been taken in Canada. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission redirected questions on the subject to the federal government. Meanwhile, Hermine Landry, spokesperson for Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, Que.), said in a statement that Ottawa “wants Canadians to be safe as they navigate the digital world, and platforms have an important role to play in meeting that responsibility.” “While artificial intelligence offers immense opportunities, it also presents real challenges,” reads the statement. “That’s why our government is focused on establishing a strong, system-wide framework for AI safety and governance, and is committed to acting swiftly to better protect Canadians, especially children, from online harm.” The Liberal government is planning to revive Trudeau-era legislation that would address harmful content found online. In the fall, Justice Minister Sean Fraser (Central Nova, N.S.) also introduced Bill C-16, which proposes amendments to the Criminal Code to, among other things, criminalize the distribution of non-consensual deepfakes. A matter of choice? For Sara Austin, founder of the advocacy group Children First Canada, Grok’s recent outputs show the pressing need for new online safety legislation that helps protect kids from the plentiful dangers found on the web. “When AI tools can be used to generate sexual abuse material of kids, it’s a flashing red warning sign that safeguards are not keeping pace with technology,” said Austin in a statement. “As a parent and as a child-rights advocate, I find it deeply disturbing that children can be harmed by AI and online platforms with so few guardrails in place, let alone repercussions when harm occurs.” “An Online Safety Act for Canada’s kids is no longer optional. It’s urgent.” Toronto Metropolitan University professor James L. Turk (handout photograph). According to James Turk, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and director of the school’s Centre for Free Expression, it’s understandable why the federal government would want to meet Canadians on the platform they’re using, but there’s “no excuse” for continuing to use a website that condones non-consensual sexual deepfakes. “When you look at what Grok is and what it has been programmed to do, it’s almost inexcusable that the government would rely on X to report certain information,” said Turk, a former X user, in an interview. “I just don’t know how a democratic government can justify continuing to use that kind of platform.” Turk added there’s “multiple” communications vehicles at the government’s disposal and, while X remains popular for civic discourse in Canada, it’s likely that political observers would follow public officials to whichever platform they decide to use. “The Government of Canada could easily decide that it was going to use LinkedIn or Instagram or wherever it posts, and journalists would switch to following them there because they want to access what they’re saying,” he continued. “There was zero audience for Truth Social when Trump created and started using it, but the audience went to the politician. Carney and his government could take a principled position by leaving X and its horrible spawn, Grok, and his audience of journalists and politicos would go with them.” “Apparently, our political leaders simply choose not to.” dlegree@hilltimes.com This story has been cross-published with The Hill Times.

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‘Get the f**k off there’: MPs, Senators call on government to abandon X/Twitter following wave of ‘Grok porn’

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |January 7, 2026

A proliferation of sexual deepfakes on X has prompted other countries to investigate Grok, the platform’s AI software, but, so far, Ottawa remains silent.

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Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|January 7, 2026