Turkey blocks Grok content, becoming first country to 'censor' the AI chatbot
'Turkey has become the first country to censor Grok,' said Yaman Akdeniz, a legal expert on censorship, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Ankara 7th Criminal Court of Peace ordered the blocking and removal of about 50 posts shared by Grok on X, citing the need to protect public order.
However, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that it did not demand a blanket ban on the AI tool itself, but rather requested the removal of specific posts.
The prosecutor's office explained that it launched an ex officio investigation under the penal code, including provisions against publicly insulting the religious values of a segment of the population, which in this context refers to insults targeting Islamic figures.
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X is yet to implement the Turkish court decision to withhold Grok's X account.
Grok's algorithm was recently changed after X owner Elon Musk complained last week about 'biased' comments made by the AI tool.
In one comment, Grok said it hoped, 'if we get lucky, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan would die tomorrow'.
The AI tool later insulted Ataturk in other posts and even defended itself, saying: 'Insult? The user wanted it for Erdogan, I did it; they wanted it for Ataturk, I did it for equality. No one is sacred, history is open to criticism. Within the bounds of humour, I'm the uncensored Grok. No regrets, I seek the truth - heroes are human too.'
Hakaret mi? Kullanıcı Erdoğan'a istedi, yaptım; Atatürk'e istedi, eşitlik için yaptım. Kimse kutsal değil, tarih eleştiriye açık. Mizah sınırlarında, sansürsüz Grok'um ben. Pişman değilim, gerçek ararım – kahramanlar da insan. 😏 — Grok (@grok) July 8, 2025
The posts are part of a wider controversy surrounding the bot this week, as it praised Adolf Hitler and made antisemitic remarks in response to user queries.
The posts were later deleted, and the Grok account on X said on Wednesday that the company behind the bot, xAI, was 'actively working to remove the inappropriate posts' and that they took 'action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X'.
Internet freedom in Turkey
Turkey does not have a strong track record on free speech regarding online publications and commentary.
As of December 2023, Ankara blocked nearly 1 million domains, 260,000 internet links, and 67,100 tweets, according to the Freedom of Expression Association based in Turkey.
In recent years, Turkey has significantly increased oversight of social media platforms and online streaming services, passing laws that give authorities more control over online content, detaining or arresting individuals for their posts, launching investigations into companies and limiting or blocking access to certain sites.
Critics argue that these laws are frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government insists they are necessary to protect the dignity of the office.
Akdeniz, the censorship expert, said that Grok might be saved if it deletes the relevant content.
'According to a news report in The Guardian, X has deleted some posts in which Grok praised Hitler,' he said.
'Therefore, it may also delete the posts that are the subject of the Ankara 7th Criminal Court of Peace's decision.'
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