San Francisco Takes Action Against “Nudify” Apps on Apple and Google Platforms
The city of San Francisco has ordered Apple and Google to remove dozens of “nudify” apps — software programs that can digitally alter pictures to unclothe the people in them — from their app stores.
California’s Legal Framework Against Non-Consensual Deepfake Content
California law criminalizes any activity that “knowingly facilitates” or “recklessly aids or abets” the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography. In 2025, the state passed a law allowing victims to pursue civil actions against third-party facilitators of such material. The city asserts that, despite these well-known regulations, both tech companies have continued to host and profit from these programs.
San Francisco’s Stand: A Call for Corporate Responsibility
“Apple and Google are profiting off apps that exploit women and girls by generating nonconsensual intimate deepfakes,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu stated in an email to TechCrunch. “While the companies cut ties with some problematic apps, Apple and Google have a responsibility to be proactive and vigilant to prevent sexual abuse.”
Warnings and Notices: A Year in the Making
Letters sent to Google and Apple by Chiu’s office, as seen by TechCrunch, highlight that the companies have been “on notice” for their role in “processing payments for illegal purchases for almost a year” but have continued to do so. The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) issued reports in January and April, alerting both companies to “dozens of apps” in their app stores selling deepfake NCII [non-consensual intimate images] in exchange for payments processed by the firms.
TTP’s April report accused Google and Apple of intentionally steering users towards such apps and described both companies as “key participants in the spread of AI tools that can turn real people into sexualized images.”
Financial Implications and Potential Penalties
Chiu told Wired that both companies likely made “millions of dollars in fees” from apps offering these services. The letters from Chiu’s office warn that Apple and Google could face civil penalties for violating the law and request they contact the city within 28 days.
Corporate Responses and Actions Taken
When reached for comment by TechCrunch, an Apple spokesperson stated that nudify apps were forbidden from appearing in its App Store. “We have removed three of the apps in question and are in the process of terminating their developer accounts from our program. We are in contact with four others that need to address policy violations or risk being removed as well.”
A Google spokesperson claimed that all five Play apps referenced in Chiu’s letter had been suspended from Google Play. “When violations are reported to us, we investigate and take swift action, which in the case of these apps has included suspending hundreds of violating apps and restricting related search terms like ‘nudify’ on our store,” the spokesperson added.
The Broader Impact of Deepfake Technology
Deepfake pornography has largely been a problem for female celebrities, though nudify apps make it possible for anyone with a publicly available photo to be targeted.
Update July 17: This article was updated to include statements from Google and Apple.
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