Key facts
- Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram displayed hundreds of ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
- Some ads featured photos of real children, including a European royal and a preteen Instagram influencer.
- The ads promoted AI apps, particularly 'nudify' apps, which digitally alter images of children.
- The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) reported Meta failed to detect 332 CSAM ads.
- Meta was criticized for delayed and inconsistent removal of the flagged ads.
- Attorneys general in Michigan and Florida are investigating the issue.
Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram have been criticized for displaying hundreds of ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including images of real children. An investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found that Meta failed to detect 332 such ads this year, many of which promoted 'nudify' apps designed to digitally alter images of children. Some ads featured real photos of children, including a young European royal and a preteen Instagram influencer, which were then animated into sexually explicit videos. TTP reported that Meta's response to flagging these ads was slow and inconsistent, with some ads remaining online for days and inconsistently marked as policy violations. This occurred despite Meta's claims of having recently rolled out new systems to better detect child exploitation. Wired also identified similar explicit content in 'nudification' ads on Meta's platforms. Meta stated that it does not tolerate such content, but acknowledged that some clips were brief or blurred, and downplayed the ad spend and reach. Attorneys general in Michigan and Florida have announced investigations into the matter.