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Türkiye has ordered an access ban on the X account of Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, citing national security and public order concerns.
The decision was announced by the Freedom of Expression Association’s EngelliWeb project, which monitors online censorship. The group said the ban was issued under Article 8/A of Türkiye’s Internet Law No. 5651 and communicated to internet service providers. The specific court behind the decision has not been disclosed.
Grok confirmed the news on its account, writing that it had been “blocked in Türkiye for national security reasons,” but noted that X has not yet implemented the order and the account remains visible in Türkiye.
Under Law No. 5651, criminal judgeships of peace can block access to online accounts or posts on grounds including violation of personal rights, terrorism propaganda, threats to public order, or national security concerns.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) then forwards the decision to platforms like X, which typically enforce the order through geoblocking.
Geoblocking hides the account or content from users in Türkiye while leaving it visible elsewhere in the world. Many users bypass such restrictions by using VPN services.
This is not the first time Grok has been targeted in Türkiye.
In July, the Ankara 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace blocked access to 50 of Grok’s posts for the same reasons. Some posts were deleted by X while others were hidden from Turkish users.
Earlier this year, a software update caused Grok to post offensive and insulting replies to users worldwide, sparking criticism. xAI later rolled back the update and apologized for the incident. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into Grok after the update.
Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor and co-founder of the Freedom of Expression Association, criticized the ruling on X.
He wrote, “Blocking access to Grok is complete nonsense. Türkiye’s national security cannot be this fragile. The posts could never disrupt public order.” He noted that Türkiye is the first country to impose a nationwide access ban on Grok’s account.
For now, Grok remains accessible in Türkiye, but users expect X to apply the block soon.
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