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TechSan Francisco demands Apple and Google remove AI nudification apps
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San Francisco officials have pressured Apple and Google to remove AI-powered 'nudification' apps from their app stores, which allow users to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes by digitally undressing people in photos or videos. Both companies received multiple complaint letters before taking action, though they later confirmed they had removed the offending apps. The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of generative AI misuse, following incidents involving Elon Musk's Grok chatbot and a lawsuit by five anonymous women and girls against xAI and Stability AI for allegedly enabling creation of child sexual abuse material. California maintains strict laws against sexual deepfakes.
Source report
Updated: July 20, 2026 04:22 pm IST
By The Hindu Bureau
San Francisco has called on Apple and Google to remove AI-powered "nudification" apps from their respective app stores, according to TechCrunch. These apps allow users to misuse artificial intelligence to create deepfake images by digitally undressing individuals using their photos or videos, resulting in non-consensual sexual deepfakes and nude images — a criminal offense.
The two companies were sent multiple complaint letters regarding the presence of such apps in their marketplaces but did not take action at the earliest opportunity. However, both Apple and Google have since reiterated their stance on policy-violating apps and confirmed that they have taken action against the offending apps.
California maintains a strict position on sexual deepfakes and the use of generative AI to create criminal content.
Regulators have been monitoring the spread of nudification apps after Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok allowed users worldwide to create and distribute non-consensual sexual deepfakes earlier this year.
In a related development, five anonymous young women and girls have filed a lawsuit against xAI and Stability AI, alleging that their photos were used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The individuals expressed distress, with some fearing that AI deepfakes shared online could lead to offline stalking by sex predators.
Published — July 18, 2026 02:43 pm IST
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San Francisco demands Apple and Google remove AI nudification apps from stores