Meta is finally cracking down on “nudify” apps that use AI to generate nonconsensual nude and explicit images of celebrities, influencers and others. The company is suing one app maker that’s frequently advertised such apps on Facebook and Instagram, and taking new steps to prevent ads for similar services.
The crackdown comes months after several researchers and journalists have raised the alarm about such apps. A recent report from CBS News identified at least “hundreds” of ads on Meta’s platform promoting apps that allow users to “remove clothing” from images of celebrities and others. One app in particular, called Crush AI, has apparently been a prolific advertiser on Facebook and Instagram. Researcher Alexios Mantzarlis, Director of Cornell Tech’s Security, Trust and Safety Initiative, reported back in January that Crush AI had run more than 8,000 ads on Facebook and Instagram since last fall.
Now, Meta says it has filed a lawsuit against Joy Timeline HK Limited, the Hong Kong-based company behind Crush AI and other nudify apps. “This follows multiple attempts by Joy Timeline HK Limited to circumvent Meta’s ad review process and continue placing these ads, after they were repeatedly removed for breaking our rules,” the company wrote in a blog post. Joy Timeline HK Limited didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meta also says it’s taking new steps to prevent apps like these from advertising on its platform. “We’ve developed new technology specifically designed to identify these types of ads — even when the ads themselves don’t include nudity — and use matching technology to help us find and remove copycat ads more quickly,” Meta wrote. “We’ve worked with external experts and our own specialist teams to expand the list of safety-related terms, phrases and emojis that our systems are trained to detect within these ads.” The social network says it also plans to work with other tech platforms, including app store owners, to share relevant details about entities that abuse its platform.
Nudify apps aren’t the only entities that have exploited Meta’s advertising platform to run ads featuring celebrity deepfakes. Meta has also struggled to contain shady advertisers that use AI-manipulated video of public figures to promote scams. The company’s independent Oversight Board, which weighs in on content moderation issues affecting Facebook and Instagram, recently criticized Meta for under-enforcing its rules prohibiting such ads.