Grok ban in PH to be lifted after ‘successful’ talks with xAI, says CICC

Philippine Canadian Inquirer
January 21, 2026

(Photo courtesy: Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center)

MANILA, Philippines — After less than a week, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) announced Wednesday, January 21, that it will be lifting the nationwide ban on the AI tool Grok after successful negotiations with its developer xAI.

CICC Usec. Renato Paraiso said xAI reached out to their agency, pledging to “modify the tool specifically for the local market” along with the removal of its features to manipulate images and content, which have enabled the creation of deepfakes and pornographic content, such as child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEMs).

“The Grok AI app has reached out to us and stated that its platform will no longer use any content manipulation.

Even after lifting the ban, the CICC will still closely monitor the app to ensure [it will] comply with the rules and regulations in our country,” said Paraiso.

A formal meeting between CICC and xAI is also set to take place, discussing Grok’s resumption of services in the Philippines.

Previously banned by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and CICC last Friday, January 16, Grok was flagged after receiving reports of its capability to generate “nonconsensual illicit deepfakes” and sexually explicit content that exploits women and minors.