Key Points:
- A new report reveals Apple and Google app stores host software that generates nonconsensual sexualized images of people.
- The Tech Transparency Project identified 18 apps on Apple and 20 on Google that easily perform nudifying functions.
- Researchers estimate these apps have generated $122 million in revenue and received over 483 million downloads.
- Both tech giants recently removed several of the flagged apps and blocked specific search terms after facing media pressure.
Apple and Google are facing heavy criticism for failing to police their own app stores. A new report published Wednesday by the Tech Transparency Project shows that both tech giants continue to offer mobile apps that let users create nonconsensual sexualized images of real people. The nonprofit research group claims these apps remain easily accessible despite both companies having strict policies prohibiting this exact type of content.
The research group found that simply searching for terms such as “nudify” and “undress” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store provides customers with instant access to the software. Users can download these programs and use them to digitally alter images of celebrities, coworkers, or classmates, making them appear completely nude or in a state of partial undress. Shockingly, the researchers also discovered that Apple and Google actively run advertisements for similar nudifying apps directly in their search results.
This digital exploitation is highly profitable. According to the report, which cited revenue estimates from market researcher AppMagic, the specific apps identified by the group have been downloaded an incredible 483 million times. These downloads generated roughly $122 million in revenue, a portion of which goes directly to Apple and Google through app store fees. Following the publication of this research, AppMagic noted that several apps changed their user policies or disappeared from the stores entirely.
Politicians around the world have spent the last year begging tech companies to curb the rapid spread of nudifying apps. Earlier this year, both Apple and Google removed several apps flagged by the Tech Transparency Project. However, researchers noted that just a few months later, dozens of brand-new, identical apps popped right back up in the stores.
Katie Paul, the director of the project, expressed deep frustration with the tech giants. She stated that the companies are not just failing to review and ban these apps appropriately; they are actively profiting from them. She pointed out that through search suggestions and advertisements, Apple and Google are actually directing their users directly to this harmful software.
During their investigation, the research group identified 18 apps with nudifying capabilities on the Apple App Store and another 20 on the Google Play Store. The researchers noted that both platforms made the problem worse through their autocomplete features. When a user started typing a search query, the app store would suggest even more nudifying apps to download.
The apps use clever marketing to bypass the rules. Some apps used names and images that clearly cast them in a sexual light. Others disguised themselves as generic photo-editing software but included specific tools that made removing clothes much easier than traditional editing programs. Many of these apps even offered expensive monthly subscriptions to unlock their most powerful features.
Both companies have clear rules against this behavior on paper. Apple’s official guidelines for developers strictly ban any overtly sexual or pornographic material. The Google Play Store specifically bans apps that degrade or objectify people, explicitly prohibiting any software that claims to undress people or see through clothing. Google notes this ban applies even if the developer labels the software as a harmless prank or entertainment app.
When confronted with the report, both companies took action. Google stated in an email that they already suspended many of the referenced apps from Google Play for violating policies, and their internal investigation remains ongoing. Apple confirmed it removed 15 specific apps identified by the group after Bloomberg reporters reached out for comment. Apple also stated it officially blocked many of the problematic search terms listed in the report.
However, experts believe the current review system is fundamentally broken. Anne Helmond, a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, called the tech giants’ enforcement efforts uneven and largely opaque. She explained that if a developer simply presents their app as a generic image generator, it will easily pass the automated review process. Because app stores reward high engagement, controversial apps that go viral quickly rise to the top of the search rankings, making the problem even worse.
Governments are finally stepping in to force compliance. Last year, President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act. This new law criminalizes the publication of nonconsensual sexual content and legally compels social media platforms to remove such posts immediately. Across the ocean, the UK government plans to introduce strict legislation in April that would allow law enforcement to criminally prosecute tech executives if their companies refuse to take down these harmful images.
