Councils remove themselves from “unacceptable” X social media platform
Published 16 January 2026
Two councils are removing their profiles from the social media service X in light of recent events that saw the platform’s integrated AI tool Grok being used to for activities branded as “completely unacceptable”.
South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils had already significantly reduced their use of X over the past year as it has become progressively ineffective at communicating with local communities, but recent events have caused the councils to take things a step further.
Leading councillors at both authorities agree that an AI tool on the platform known as Grok, that can be used to create fake sexualised images of real people and automatically post them online, is unacceptable and goes against their commitments to safeguarding and safety, notably regarding women and children.
Instead of X, residents can get updates from the councils on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, Nextdoor and WhatsApp, as well as on the councils’ websites, email newsletters and in the local press and broadcast media.
The councils continue to explore evolving and emerging channels as a way of making sure they continue to reach their communities with important messages about council services.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “X has been a platform in decline for some time now and we stopped routinely posting on it when it was clear that it was no longer an effective way of engaging with our communities. I deplore the recent examples that have been reported on the platform, which go against the principles of the council, treating people fairly, with respect and as equals. Given the company’s disappointing and slow response to widespread international alarm at what was going on, we’ve taken the decision to remove the council’s presence from the platform completely. As we do with all social media channels, we will keep this under review for the future if we can be reassured that the platform and its ownership is willing and able to take matters like this seriously.”
Cllr Maggie Cllr Filipova-Rivers, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “People around the world have been appalled at the recent developments at X, where the kinds of content being posted using its Grok tool have been completely unacceptable and do not align with the council’s values. The company’s reaction has been slow and insufficient, and in my opinion, changes were only announced when it looked like the whole affair might harm its finances.
“We haven’t used X for routine service updates for some time but we’re taking this extra step to fully remove the council from the platform as part of our commitment to safeguarding all our residents, including women and children.”
