San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has issued cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google, demanding the removal of 13 apps capable of generating nonconsensual AI-based nude imagery.

Key Points

• San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu identified 13 apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that facilitate the creation of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes.
• The legal notices demand that both tech giants stop profiting from in-app fees generated by these tools and sever business relationships with the responsible developers.
• Research from Cornell and Georgetown universities found that 70 percent of tested face-swapping apps lacked safety measures to prevent the generation of explicit content.
• Apple has confirmed the removal of three flagged apps and is terminating the associated developer accounts, while Google reports it has suspended hundreds of violating applications.
• Previous reports from the Tech Transparency Project estimated that similar apps have been downloaded 480 million times, generating approximately $120 million in combined revenue.

Why it Matters

This legal action highlights the ongoing struggle to regulate dual-use AI technology that evades standard content moderation by masquerading as benign face-swapping tools. By pressuring major platforms to improve their screening processes, officials aim to curb the proliferation of digital sexual abuse and hold tech giants accountable for the revenue they derive from harmful applications.