San Francisco presses Apple, Google to remove AI nudify apps

MUMBAI: The heat is on and this time, the app stores are in the dock. San Francisco has turned up the pressure on Apple and Google, accusing the tech giants of allowing AI-powered “nudify” apps to flourish despite laws targeting the creation of non-consensual intimate deepfakes.

According to a WIRED report, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has directed Apple and Google to remove dozens of AI-powered nudify apps from their app stores, arguing that both companies continue to host and profit from software capable of generating non-consensual intimate images.

The action comes as California law prohibits knowingly facilitating or recklessly assisting the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography. A separate law introduced in 2025 also gives victims the right to pursue civil action against third-party facilitators of such content.

Chiu alleged that Apple and Google had failed to meet their legal responsibilities. He accused the companies of profiting from apps that exploit women and girls by generating non-consensual intimate deepfakes and called on them to take stronger measures to prevent abuse on their platforms.

According to letters from Chiu’s office both companies had been aware of concerns for nearly a year but allegedly continued processing payments linked to the apps. The letters also claimed the companies were repeatedly notified that the applications remained available through their marketplaces.

The city attorney’s office cited investigations by the Tech Transparency Project, published in January and April, which identified dozens of apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play offering AI-generated intimate image services through payment systems operated by the two companies. An April report further alleged that both platforms directed users towards such apps, describing Apple and Google as major contributors to the spread of AI tools capable of producing sexualised images.

Chiu also told WIRED that the companies had likely earned millions of dollars in fees from these applications. His office has warned that both firms could face civil penalties under California law and has given them 28 days to respond.

Apple said nudify apps are not permitted on its App Store. The company said it had already removed three of the apps identified, was terminating those developers’ accounts and had contacted four additional developers over policy violations that could lead to further removals.

Google said the five Play Store apps referenced in Chiu’s letter had already been suspended. A spokesperson added that the company had removed hundreds of apps found to breach its policies and had also restricted searches for terms such as “nudify” on Google Play.

While female celebrities have been among the most frequent targets of AI-generated intimate deepfakes, the technology also poses risks to ordinary individuals, allowing anyone with publicly available photographs to become vulnerable to digitally fabricated explicit images. The latest action underscores the growing scrutiny facing technology platforms as lawmakers seek to curb the misuse of generative AI.