San Francisco's officials have ordered Apple and Google to remove nudify applications from their app stores, citing harm to women and children. The city's Department of Technology and Infrastructure sent formal notices demanding the tech giants pull these apps, which use artificial intelligence to generate fake nude images of real people.
The timing reflects growing regulatory pressure on AI tools that enable non-consensual intimate imagery. Nudify apps have exploded in popularity over the past year, leveraging advances in generative AI to create convincing fake nudes from clothed photos. Users upload images of real people, often women, without consent, then distribute the results across social media and messaging platforms.
San Francisco officials estimate Apple and Google have collected millions in fees from these applications. The app stores take a standard 30 percent cut of in-app purchases and subscriptions. Both companies have faced criticism for allowing these tools to proliferate despite clear harm. Some nudify apps operated openly under misleading names or generic descriptions that obscured their actual function.
The removal orders carry no direct legal penalty but signal city intent to pursue regulation. San Francisco has already become a hub for AI accountability legislation, having passed laws restricting algorithmic hiring tools and facial recognition. This action against nudify apps fits that pattern.
Apple and Google have each removed some nudify applications in response to public pressure, but gaps remain. Multiple versions continue operating across both platforms under different names. The companies have not issued comprehensive statements about their policies on non-consensual intimate imagery generation.
Privacy advocates argue these apps represent a specific harm that differs from general AI regulation debates. Creating fake nudes of real people without consent combines identity theft with sexual harassment. Victims face reputational damage, emotional distress, and potential blackmail. The technology lowers barriers to creating such content, democratizing what was previously difficult to execute.
San Francisco's move reflects broader momentum toward treating AI-generated intimate imagery as a distinct policy problem