Meta sues 'nudify' app firm amid calls for broader crackdown

Social media giant Meta has launched legal action against a company promoting “nudify” apps on its platforms, which use AI to generate fake nude images of individuals without their consent.

The lawsuit targets the firm behind CrushAI apps, aiming to halt their advertising entirely, following a prolonged effort by Meta to remove such content.

Meta stated in a blog post that this legal step “underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community.” However, experts are urging the company to go further.

Alexios Mantzarlis, author of the Faked Up blog, claims there are “at least 10,000 ads” for nudifying apps on Facebook and Instagram and cautioned that despite Meta’s action, he could still find numerous active ads from CrushAI and other similar services. He stressed the need for “continued monitoring” to ensure platform accountability.

The proliferation of these AI-generated apps has led to grave concerns regarding their use by predators. Matthew Sowemimo, Associate Head of Policy for Child Safety Online at the NSPCC, highlighted charity research showing predators are “weaponising” these apps to create illegal images of children, inflicting “devastating emotional toll.”

This alarming trend has prompted the Children’s Commissioner for England to call for direct legislation to ban “nudify” apps for all UK users and prevent their widespread advertisement.

Meta acknowledges the challenge, stating it has developed new technology to identify elusive ads and has begun sharing information with other tech companies to combat the wider issue. Nevertheless, the ongoing presence of such content underscores the continuous battle facing social media platforms against AI-generated abuse.