San Francisco Attorney Demands Apple, Google Remove Nudify Apps

San Francisco Attorney Demands Apple and Google Remove AI “Nudify” Apps

The Demand

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is forcing Apple and Google to answer for the darker side of their app stores. Cease-and-desist letters sent on Thursday target 13 AI-powered apps—eight on the App Store and five on Google Play—that transform ordinary photos into nonconsensual nude images. Marketed as innocent face-swapping tools, these apps enable what Chiu calls “the sexual exploitation of real people without their consent.”

“Apple and Google are effectively aiding and abetting the sale of explicit deepfake images,” Chiu told WIRED, cited by both MacRumors and Engadget. He estimates the tech giants have collected millions in fees from in-app purchases, a cut they must now cut off.

The letters demand not only the immediate removal of the apps but also a severance of business ties with their developers. This isn’t a polite request; it’s a legal shot across the bow, hinting at potential liability if the platforms fail to act.

Comparative Coverage: MacRumors vs. Engadget

Both outlets anchor their stories in the WIRED report, but their framing diverges. MacRumors emphasizes the legal mechanics, detailing Apple’s preemptive move in June to tighten App Store guidelines around pornographic content and noting that Google has previously removed “hundreds” of similar apps. The piece underscores the companies’ existing rules and reactive measures, leaving the reader to infer that more proactive moderation is needed.

Engadget, by contrast, paints a broader picture of systemic failure. It reminds us that Chiu had already sued 16 deepfake websites, and it amplifies a damning report from The Tech Transparency Project (TTP). That investigation found nudify apps slipping past moderators—some even rated “E for Everyone” and actively promoted on the stores. Engadget’s angle is clear: public outcry alone hasn’t plugged the hole.

While both articles cite Google’s claim that the five flagged apps had been removed following policy violation reviews, only Engadget quotes the TTP report’s stark conclusion: finding these apps is “shockingly easy.” MacRumors stays closer to the official statements, adding a footnote about its forum’s post-count restriction—a reminder that such topics can be politically charged.

Why Now: The Deepfake Explosion

The timing is no accident. Generative AI has made realistic image manipulation trivial, and the app stores have become distribution hubs for tools that target primarily women and girls. Chiu’s office frames this as a consumer protection and public safety crisis, not just a terms-of-service violation.

Key context:

• Chiu’s earlier lawsuit against 16 deepfake websites established his office as a legal attack dog on this issue.
• The TTP report earlier this year revealed that many nudify apps were rated for all ages, letting children download them.
• Both Apple and Google have policies banning pornography, but the apps often disguise their real function until after installation.

The demand tests the boundaries of platform immunity, invoking an “aiding and abetting” theory that could resonate in courts increasingly skeptical of Section 230-like protections.

The Money Trail

A central argument in Chiu’s letters is the financial incentive. By taking a commission on in-app transactions—allegedly totaling millions—the app stores benefit directly from these harmful apps. That transforms them from neutral conduits into profiting participants, a shift that could pressure companies to more aggressively police their platforms.

What Comes Next

The immediate path seems clear: Apple and Google will likely comply, as they have with past takedowns, to avoid legal entanglement. But the Whac-A-Mole nature of such apps means new versions will surface under different names. The real test is whether this sparks durable changes in app review processes—perhaps requiring developers to explicitly attest that their AI models cannot generate NCII, or implementing proactive detection of known models.

Chiu’s gambit might also inspire other jurisdictions to follow suit, creating a patchwork of local demands that forces a global response. For now, the spotlight is on Cupertino and Mountain View to prove that their moderation systems are more than reactive damage control. The millions they’ve earned from these apps, Chiu implies, come with a steep moral and legal price.

References

• Apple and Google Hit With Demand to Pull AI 'Nudify' Apps - MacRumors
• Apple and Google ordered by San Francisco attorney to take action against 'nudify' apps - Engadget