San Francisco orders Apple, Google to remove nudify apps

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has ordered Apple and Google to remove 13 AI-powered “nudify” apps from their respective app stores. The companies received cease-and-desist letters accusing them of “aiding and abetting” the spread of nonconsensual intimate images and urging them to stop working with the developers behind the apps.

As reported by Wired, the apps can generate deepfake nude images of real people. Chiu previously sued 16 websites that let users turn photos of real women and girls into AI-generated pornography. He told Wired that Apple and Google may have made millions of dollars from in-app payments linked to the apps and argued that their moderation systems need to prevent them from being approved.

A report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) earlier this year found that nudification apps frequently appeared on both platforms. It alleged that some were actively promoted on the App Store and Google Play, while others were rated “E” for Everyone, potentially allowing children to download them. The report said users could find the apps by searching for terms such as “nudify” or “undress,” despite both companies' bans on sexual and pornographic content.

Google told Wired it had removed “hundreds” of apps with nudification features, including five identified by Chiu. The company said its policies prohibit sexual content and that it takes “swift action” when reported apps violate its rules. Apple did not comment before publication.

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