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The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) officially announced on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, that it will lift the nationwide ban on Grok AI following successful negotiations with its developer, xAI.
Key Details
CICC Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso confirmed that the platform has pledged to implement specific modifications for the Philippine market to address safety concerns regarding non-consensual content.
According to the CICC, xAI reached out to the Philippine government to resolve the issue. As part of its “safety pledge,” the company committed to the following adjustments for local users:
- The removal of image and content generation tools that allow for the creation of illicit deepfakes.
- The total exclusion of pornographic material, specifically Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
“The Grok AI app has reached out to us and stated that its platform will no longer use any content manipulation,” Paraiso stated.
Continued Monitoring
Despite the agreement to restore access, the CICC emphasized that it will maintain strict oversight of the platform to ensure ongoing compliance with Philippine laws.
“Even after lifting the ban, the CICC will still closely monitor the app to ensure they comply with the rules and regulations in our country,” Paraiso added.
The agency noted that xAI and the CICC are expected to meet formally to finalize the operational details of the tool’s resumption in the country.
The January 16 Ban
The restriction was originally triggered on January 16, 2026, after the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the CICC flagged Grok AI for its capability to generate sexually explicit deepfakes, which authorities deemed a severe risk to women and minors.
Acting on this request, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) blocked access to the platform nationwide within 24 hours of the directive.
This article is published on BitPinas: CICC to Lift Ban on Grok AI After xAI Commits to Anti-Deepfake Safeguards
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