Breaking

San Francisco Orders Apple and Google to Pull 13 AI 'Nudify' Apps or Face Penalties

July 19, 2026 at 00:08 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Security
Media Generation

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has demanded that Apple and Google remove 13 AI-powered "nudify" and face-swap apps from their app stores, warning that both companies profit from tools used to generate non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and girls. The cease-and-desist letters, sent around July 17, 2026, give the two platform giants 28 days to act or risk civil penalties under California law.

July 17, 2026 · Office of the San Francisco City Attorney

San Francisco Orders Apple & Google to Delete 13 AI "Nudify" Apps

City Attorney David Chiu warns both platforms profit from tools that generate non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and girls — giving them 28 days to act or face civil penalties under California law.

apps targeted for removal

days to comply or face penalties

90+

documented school-bullying cases

Where the 13 apps lived

8 on Apple's App Store · 5 on Google Play

App Store

Google Play

The hidden capability

Of 155 face-swap apps tested, ~70% could generate nude imagery with no meaningful safety controls.

~70%

could produce nudes

~30%

could not

"Dual-use" marketing as face-swap tools helps these apps evade automated detection.

~480M

cumulative downloads across the broader nudify ecosystem

~$120M

estimated revenue — with millions in fees to Apple & Google

How platforms have responded

APPLE

Removed 3 flagged apps, terminating those developer accounts; asked remaining 4 to fix policy violations.

GOOGLE

Suspended hundreds of apps including the 5 identified; restricted searches for terms like "nudify."

SUPPORT

Enforcement is broadly welcomed — pressuring platform operators directly could set a template for holding app-store gatekeepers accountable.

CRITICISM

Critics say platforms need fundamentally stronger vetting rather than reactive removals — and that action arrived only after years of documented abuse.

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