Dangerous Apps That Create Fake Nude Photos Are Being Removed From App Stores

San Francisco's City Attorney's Office sent cease and desist letters to Apple and Google this week. The letters demand that both companies remove 13 specific apps from their app stores. These apps use artificial intelligence to create fake nude images by swapping faces onto explicit photos. The technology is overwhelmingly being used to target women and girls without their consent. This affects families with children and teens who use iPhones or Android devices. Anyone can be targeted by these apps if someone else downloads them and uses photos from social media or other sources. Women and girls are the primary targets.

Even if your family members have never used these apps, someone else could use their photos to create harmful fake images.

Take these steps right now to protect your family. First, talk to your children and teens about this threat. Explain that people can misuse their photos in harmful ways. Second, review privacy settings on all social media accounts in your household. Make profiles private so only approved friends can see photos. Third, limit what photos your family posts publicly online, especially of children and teens. Fourth, remind everyone never to share intimate photos digitally, as they can be misused in multiple ways. Going forward, have ongoing conversations about digital safety and consent. Teach children that creating, sharing, or possessing fake nude images of others is harmful and may be illegal. Monitor what apps your children download. Check apps before allowing installation. Report any misuse of these technologies to local law enforcement and the platform where the abuse occurred. Building awareness and maintaining open communication helps protect your family from these evolving digital threats.