Key facts
- San Francisco Attorney General David Chiu has demanded Apple and Google remove 13 AI-powered 'nudification' apps.
- These apps can generate non-consensual explicit images, including deepfake pornography.
- Chiu stated the technology disproportionately victimizes women and children.
- He accused Apple and Google of profiting from these harmful apps through app store fees.
- Google confirmed it suspended five flagged apps for violating its policies against harmful content.
San Francisco Attorney General David Chiu has issued cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google, demanding the removal of 13 applications that utilize artificial intelligence to create non-consensual explicit images. These 'nudification' apps are capable of removing clothing, altering facial features, and placing individuals into sexualized positions, often victimizing women and children.
Chiu's office warned that allowing such apps on app stores violates California laws prohibiting services that create deepfake pornography. He expressed horror at the ubiquity of the technology, noting its severe impact on victims' reputations, mental health, and autonomy, with some victims experiencing suicidal thoughts.
While specific app names were not disclosed to avoid promoting them, one app reportedly had over a million downloads and advertised features for sexualizing images and creating uncensored videos. Chiu asserted that generating non-consensual intimate images is illegal and unacceptable, and that Apple and Google have likely profited significantly from these apps through app store fees.
In response, Google spokesperson Dan Jackson stated that the five apps flagged by Chiu have been suspended from the Google Play Store for violating policies against harmful content. He emphasized Google Play's prohibition of apps containing sexual content and its ongoing efforts to detect and remove such applications, noting that hundreds of violating apps have been suspended and related search terms restricted.