Spain Joins EU Crackdown on AI Deepfakes as Ireland Investigates X

Rabat – European authorities have widened their scrutiny of major social media platforms following the spread of AI-generated sexualized deepfakes, with Spain moving to pursue a criminal investigation into X, Meta, and TikTok.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission also confirmed today it has opened a large-scale inquiry into X over the processing of Europeans’ personal data by its AI chatbot Grok.

The regulator said it is examining whether the company complied with its obligations under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation in relation to the apparent creation of non-consensual intimate or sexualized images, including images involving children.

As the lead EU regulator for X because the company’s European operations are based in Ireland, the Irish watchdog has the power to impose fines of up to 4% of global annual turnover. Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said the inquiry will assess compliance with “fundamental obligations” under GDPR.

The commission has been engaging with X for several weeks before formally launching the probe.

The controversy centers on Grok’s image-generation feature, which went viral at the end of 2025 after users began generating manipulated images that digitally undressed real people. Rights groups estimate that millions of sexualized images were produced over a short period, including thousands depicting minors.

X introduced restrictions in January aimed at limiting the feature, and later moved to block users from generating such images.

Spain seeks criminal investigation

In Madrid, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that the government has asked public prosecutors to investigate wether X, Meta, and TikTok may have committed crimes through the creation and dissemination of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

In a statement during the World Government Summit earlier this month, Sanchez said online platforms were undermining the rights and dignity of children and that impunity must end.

Spain’s move broadens the focus beyond X and Grok, which have so far been at the center of most regulatory action.

French authorities have launched a criminal investigation into X, while the European Commission opened its own probe under the Digital Services Act in late January to determine whether illegal content was disseminated within the bloc. Britain’s privacy watchdog has also opened a formal investigation into Grok.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament are discussing potential changes that could include stricter measures against AI tools used to create sexualized deepfakes. Separately, negotiations are ongoing between EU institutions over the criminalization of AI-generated child sexual abuse material across the bloc.

The growing number of investigations reflects coordinated enforcement efforts by national and EU authorities as concerns mount over the use of generative AI tools to produce harmful and illegal content online