Dangerous Apps That Create Fake Nude Photos Targeted by San Francisco

San Francisco's City Attorney's Office sent legal letters to Apple and Google this week demanding they remove 13 apps from their app stores. These apps use artificial intelligence to create fake nude photographs of people. The technology is called face swap or nudify apps. According to the city, these apps are overwhelmingly used to target women and girls by creating fake nude images of them without permission.

If you have an iPhone or Android device, these apps may currently be available in your app store. Anyone, including teenagers and children, could potentially download them. The apps take regular photos of people and use AI to generate realistic looking fake nude images. This is being used as a form of harassment and abuse, particularly against women and young girls who did not consent to these images being created.

Take these steps right now to protect your family:

1. Check all phones and tablets in your household for these types of apps. Look for apps with names related to face swapping, photo editing with AI, or anything mentioning nudify.
2. Delete any suspicious apps immediately and talk to your children about why these apps are harmful and wrong to use.
3. Have a conversation with your teenagers about digital consent and the serious harm caused by creating or sharing fake nude images of others.
4. Remind your children that creating or sharing fake nude images of minors is illegal and can result in serious legal consequences. Make digital respect a regular topic in your home. Teach children that just because technology makes something possible does not make it right. Explain that real photos posted online can be stolen and misused by others, so be thoughtful about what gets shared on social media. Keep communication open so kids feel comfortable telling you if someone targets them with this type of abuse.