The San Francisco City Attorney's office has ordered Apple and Google to remove dozens of "nudify" apps from their app stores, or face legal consequences. According to TechCrunch, this software digitally strips people in photos without permission.
The City Attorney claims both companies have known about the problem for nearly a year without taking action. The Tech Transparency Project documented dozens of apps selling non-consensual deepfake pornography through payments processed by Apple and Google, sending warnings as recently as January and April.
"Apple and Google are profiting off apps that exploit women and girls," San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said. The companies collect fees from each transaction.
California criminalized non-consensual deepfake pornography in 2025 and created a civil lawsuit pathway for victims. The world's two largest app distributors, which control access to these platforms, allegedly kept these apps available regardless.
Apple says it has "removed three of the apps in question" and is terminating developer accounts. Google says all five apps referenced in the letter are already suspended. Yet if outside investigations and public exposure were needed to prompt action, other violations may remain undiscovered.
The 28-day deadline signals this is not voluntary. Civil penalties are possible, and the precedent could extend to streaming services, social platforms, and other channels where deepfake content spreads. Whether the companies comply or delay until the next investigation will demonstrate whether their public statements on safety have substance.
