San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sends cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google demanding action against 13 “nudify” or face-swap apps listed in their app stores. The letters, sent in the week of reporting and dated Thursday in some accounts, target eight apps on Apple’s App Store and five on Google Play. The attorney argues the apps are marketed as face-swapping tools but are used to “undress” photos of real people, including through AI-generated deepfakes that can create non-consensual nude images.
The attorney asks both companies to sever their business relationships with the developers, stop taking a cut of in-app payments, and remove or otherwise discontinue distribution of the apps. Chiu characterizes the conduct as “illegal, harmful, and completely unacceptable,” and says the companies have collected significant app-related fees.
Apple and Google both maintain developer policies that prohibit pornography and have removed nudify-related apps before after reports and enforcement actions. A Google spokesperson tells one outlet that Google has deleted hundreds of apps with nudifying features for policy violations, including the apps named in the letters. The reporting also notes Apple has tightened App Store guideline language related to developer responsibility for pornographic content.
