Protecting Our Communities: Why Liberal Democrats Are Calling for an NCA Investigation into X

​The digital frontier should be a space for innovation, connection, and free expression. But under the current leadership of X (formerly Twitter), it has increasingly become a Wild West where the safety of women and children is being sacrificed at the altar of "unfettered" tech experimentation.

​The Liberal Democrats believe in a society where privacy, dignity, and safety are protected by the rule of law. That is why we are calling on the National Crime Agency (NCA) to launch an immediate criminal investigation into X and its AI tool, ‘Grok’.

​A Failure of Corporate Responsibility

​Recent reports have uncovered a stomach-churning reality: Grok is being used to generate non-consensual deepfake sexual imagery and sexualised images of children. This isn't just a "glitch" or a "policy oversight"—it is the facilitation of criminal activity.

​In any other industry, if a company provided the tools and the platform to manufacture and distribute illegal abuse material on this scale, the authorities would have intervened long ago. X should not be an exception simply because it is owned by a billionaire.

​Why the Current Approach is Failing:

​Regulatory Lag: The Online Safety Act was designed to prevent this, yet Ofcom is currently relying on "future assurances" from X rather than using its full enforcement powers.

​Accountability Gap: While regulators talk, real people are being victimized. We cannot wait for a "far-off" verdict while harmful material continues to circulate.

​Corporate Negligence: By failing to implement robust safeguards on its AI tools, X is effectively facilitating the commission of serious criminal offences on UK soil.

Liberal Democrats Demands for Action

​Liberal Democrats are clear: the safety of our citizens must come before the profits of social media giants. We are calling for a three-pronged approach to tackle this crisis:

​A Full NCA Investigation: The National Crime Agency must investigate whether X’s UK operations are criminally liable for the creation and dissemination of this material.

​Immediate Restrictions: Until X can prove that its AI tools are safe and compliant with UK law, access to the platform should be restricted. We cannot leave the door open to abuse while an investigation is pending.

​Prosecution of Offenders: The NCA must pursue the individuals responsible for generating and sharing this illegal content to send a clear message that the internet is not a lawless zone.

​Standing Up for Women and Children

​As Victoria Collins MP, Liberal Democrats; Spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology, rightly said:

​"We cannot stand by and wait for someone such as Elon Musk to do the right thing while real people are being abused and exploited as we speak."

​The Liberal Democrats have a long-standing commitment to civil liberties, but true liberty cannot exist in an environment of fear and exploitation. We will continue to pressure the Government and law enforcement to ensure that tech giants are held to the same standards as everyone else.

The letter the NCA can be found here:

Dear Director General,

We are writing to urge the National Crime Agency to launch an urgent criminal investigation into X (formerly Twitter), in relation to the generation and dissemination of illegal sexual abuse imagery through its in-built artificial intelligence tool, Grok.

Recent reporting has revealed deeply disturbing instances in which Grok has been used to generate non-consensual, sexualised images of women, as well as sexualised images of children. The creation, possession and distribution of such material is a serious criminal offence. The ease with which this material has repeatedly been produced raises profound concern that criminal activity is being facilitated by the platform.

If any other service were found to be generating or enabling access to such large volumes of sexual abuse material, it would rightly face immediate criminal investigation. It is alarming that X appears to continue operating, relying on assurances of future safeguards, rather than being subject to robust law enforcement now.

While Ofcom has expressed serious concerns and is examining the platform’s compliance with the Online Safety Act, this situation is not being treated with anything like the seriousness it demands. This goes well beyond a regulatory failure: harmful criminal offences are being committed by British individuals, and a corporate entity appears to be facilitating them while refusing to take effective steps to prevent them. These matters fall squarely within the remit of the National Crime Agency.

The safety of women and children online must be treated with the utmost seriousness. The continued availability of AI tools that can be used to generate sexual abuse imagery represents a clear and present risk to the public. I therefore urge the NCA to investigate X and its UK operations, assess whether criminal offences have been committed, and take appropriate enforcement action, including against individuals responsible for generating and sharing illegal content.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your colleagues to discuss these concerns further and to understand what steps are being taken to protect the public from this rapidly evolving threat.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Max Wilkinson MP

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs

Victoria Collins MP

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology

Marie Goldman MP

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities