San Francisco’s AI Porn Crackdown Forces Apple and Google Into Rapid Retreat

San Francisco’s AI Porn Crackdown Forces Apple and Google Into Rapid Retreat
San Francisco’s move to confront AI-fueled fake pornography has rapidly escalated into a high-profile clash with Apple and Google over their responsibility for harmful apps.

Early July: City targets “nudify” industry

This week, San Francisco city attorney David Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google, ordering them to remove 13 AI “nudification” apps that can turn ordinary photos into explicit, non-consensual images, often targeting women and children. The letters accuse the tech giants of “aiding and abetting” the sale of sexualized AI deepfakes, which Chiu argues is prohibited under California law.

Chiu’s office described being “absolutely horrified” by how ubiquitous these tools have become, saying they are used to bully, humiliate, and threaten victims, with some driven to suicidal thoughts. His office also estimated Apple and Google likely made “millions of dollars in fees” from the apps before acting.

Immediate platform responses

Google moved first, suspending the five Android apps cited in Chiu’s letter and stressing that Google Play “does not allow apps that contain sexual content” and that it “continually take[s] proactive steps to detect and remove apps with harmful content.”

Apple followed with a more sweeping statement. Spokesperson Adam Dema confirmed the company had removed three of the apps named in Chiu’s demand and was terminating their developers’ accounts, noting that Apple has “always strictly prohibited apps designed to generate, distribute, or consume pornography” and that “‘nudification’ apps are against our App Review Guidelines.”

Ongoing tension over responsibility

While both firms emphasize existing bans on sexual content and proactive enforcement, Chiu’s letters argue that their screening systems failed to stop a rapidly growing “nudify” industry causing severe reputational and mental-health harms. The confrontation highlights a wider regulatory push to hold major platforms legally accountable for AI tools that enable non-consensual sexual imagery.

[1] Ars Technica
“San Francisco’s attorney general, David Chiu, sent cease-and-desist letters, demanding that Apple and Google remove 13 so-called nudification apps from their app stores… victimizing mostly women and children at an alarming scale… His office estimated that Apple and Google have likely ‘made millions of dollars in fees’ by ignoring the harmful apps.”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/apple-google-must-stop-profiting-off-ai-nudify-apps-san-francisco-ag-says/

[2] The Verge
“San Francisco city attorney David Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to both companies… The letters ask Google and Apple to stop ‘aiding and abetting’ the sale of sexualized AI deepfakes… Google spokesperson Dan Jackson tells The Verge that the company suspended the five Android apps cited in Chiu’s letter, adding that the Play Store ‘does not allow apps that contain sexual content.’”
https://www.theverge.com/tech/967041/apple-and-google-ordered-to-take-down-ai-nudify-apps

[3] The Verge
“We have always strictly prohibited apps designed to generate, distribute, or consume pornography. ‘Nudification’ apps are against our App Review Guidelines… We have removed three of the apps in question and are in the process of terminating their developer accounts from our program.”
https://www.theverge.com/tech/967623/apple-confirms-it-took-down-ai-nudify-apps

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