San Francisco Orders Apple & Google to Remove “Nudify” Apps
San Francisco, CA – The city of San Francisco has mandated tech giants Apple and Google to remove dozens of controversial “nudify” apps from their app stores. These apps digitally alter pictures to unclothe individuals depicted.
California law prohibits any action that “knowingly facilitates” or “recklessly aids or abets” the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography. The city alleges that both companies continued to host and monetize such apps despite existing regulations.
“Apple and Google are profiting off apps that exploit women and girls by generating nonconsensual intimate deepfakes,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu in an email to TechCrunch. “While the companies have severed ties with some problematic apps, they have a responsibility to be proactive and vigilant to prevent sexual abuse.”
Letters from Chiu’s office claim that both companies have been aware of their involvement in processing payments for illegal deepfake purchases for over a year. Despite repeated warnings, they continued facilitating these transactions.
The Tech Transparency Project, an organization dedicated to transparency and accountability in technology, previously identified numerous nudify apps within both app stores. Their reports accused both companies of intentionally directing users towards these apps and labeling them as key participants in the proliferation of AI tools for sexualizing individuals.
Chiu’s office warns that Apple and Google could face civil penalties for violating the law and demands they respond within 28 days.
TechCrunch reached out to both companies for comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.
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