San Francisco Orders Apple and Google to Pull 13 AI Nudify Apps
San Francisco's attorney general sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google demanding removal of 13 AI nudification apps under California deepfake law.
San Francisco Attorney General David Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google this week, demanding both companies remove 13 AI nudification apps from their app stores. The apps can transform ordinary photos of real people into explicit images by stripping clothing, altering physical features, placing subjects in sexualized positions, or swapping faces onto naked bodies. Chiu's letters allege the platforms are violating California law prohibiting support for services that create deepfake pornography.
What happened
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Who issued the order | David Chiu, San Francisco Attorney General |
| Targets | Apple and Google |
| Apps in question | 13 AI nudification apps |
| Legal basis | California laws prohibiting support for deepfake pornography services |
| Action demanded | Removal of the named apps from both app stores |
Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google demanding they pull 13 so-called nudify apps from their platforms. The letters were first reported by Wired. These are AI tools that take ordinary photos of real, identifiable people and generate explicit images without their consent, by removing clothing, changing physical features, placing people in sexualized positions, or overlaying a victim’s face onto someone else’s naked body.
The attorney general’s position is that distributing and profiting from these apps puts Apple and Google in direct violation of California statutes that ban supporting services used to produce deepfake pornography (AI-generated or manipulated explicit images of real people).
Why it matters
App stores function as gatekeepers. When a harmful app clears review and goes live, the platform earns a cut of any revenue, making it a financial participant in the harm. That is the core of Chiu’s argument: Apple and Google are not passive bystanders, they are benefiting from tools designed to exploit real people.
The legal pressure also signals a broader shift. Regulators are no longer treating deepfake abuse as an abstract future risk. California already has statutes on the books, and a state attorney general is now using them against major platform companies directly, not just the app developers themselves. That is a meaningful escalation in enforcement strategy.
For businesses and developers, this is a reminder that app store presence does not equal legal safety. Platforms face growing pressure to police AI-powered tools proactively, and that scrutiny will likely spread to ad networks, payment processors, and hosting providers serving similar products. Discussions about AI security and accountability gaps are increasingly moving from internal risk conversations to external legal ones.
Our take
This is overdue. Nudify apps have been available in major app stores for some time, and the harm they cause is concrete and well-documented. The fact that it took a cease-and-desist from a city attorney general to prompt action says something unflattering about the review processes at two of the wealthiest companies on earth.
The 13-app number is also almost certainly an undercount. Developers in this space are fast at rebranding and resubmitting stripped-down versions that pass review. A one-time removal order without ongoing enforcement mechanisms will not fix the underlying problem.
What would actually help is Apple and Google publishing clear, enforceable rules against AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery, with transparent enforcement data. If you work with AI tools professionally, including in content, marketing, or product development, now is a good time to audit what third-party AI services your workflows touch. Regulators are looking at the whole supply chain, not just the end app.
If your business uses AI in ways that touch user-generated content or images, our AI integration services can help you assess where your exposure sits.
What to do about it
- Search both the App Store and Google Play for any AI image tools your team or clients are currently using and verify their purpose is legitimate.
- Review your platform or product terms to confirm you prohibit non-consensual image generation, and that your moderation process actually enforces it.
- If you are a developer distributing AI tools, document your content policy and compliance with California deepfake law now, before a regulator asks.
- Watch for follow-on enforcement: if Apple or Google fail to comply, expect civil action that could set precedent for platform liability across other AI tool categories.
Platform accountability for AI-generated harm is becoming a legal question, not just an ethical one. Get ahead of it.
Frequently asked questions
What are AI nudify apps?
AI nudify apps use artificial intelligence to transform ordinary photos of real people into explicit images, by digitally removing clothing, altering features, or swapping faces onto naked bodies, without the subject's consent.
Why is San Francisco targeting Apple and Google over nudify apps?
San Francisco Attorney General David Chiu argues that by hosting and profiting from these apps, Apple and Google are violating California laws that prohibit supporting services used to create deepfake pornography.
How many nudify apps were named in the cease-and-desist letters?
The cease-and-desist letters identified 13 AI nudification apps across Apple's App Store and Google Play.
Is creating deepfake pornography illegal in California?
Yes. California has laws specifically prohibiting the creation of deepfake pornography, and the attorney general's letters claim that distributing apps that facilitate this creation also violates those statutes.
