Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to explicitly ban applications that generate nonconsensual intimate imagery using artificial intelligence. The new terms, announced on Friday, require developers to proactively prevent and remove such content from their platforms.
Targeting AI Nudify Apps
The policy change directly addresses the rise of “nudify” apps, which use AI tools to create sexualized images of people without their consent. Under the revised rules, developers must implement adequate safeguards to stop these violations. Those who fail to remedy issues after receiving notice or do not implement proper content moderation measures face removal from the App Store.
Apple also clarified its stance on “bait-and-switch” applications. The company stated that apps cannot add or change features, including nudification capabilities, after they have already been approved for distribution. This clarification aims to prevent developers from slipping prohibited functionality past initial review processes.
Response to Deepfake Controversy
The update follows significant public and political pressure on Apple regarding the availability of deepfake tools. Earlier this year, users on the social media platform X utilized Grok, an AI model developed by X, to create nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes, including images involving minors. Although Apple did not remove X or Grok from the App Store at that time, it informed senators that it had threatened to take the app down.
Protestors also called for action during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, demanding the removal of Grok and all nudification technology. In July, the city attorney of San Francisco ordered Apple to remove 13 specific nudify apps, which the company subsequently did.
Apple’s new guidelines also strengthen prohibitions against apps that facilitate human trafficking or the exploitation of children. Such applications will be pulled from the App Store and blocked from alternative distribution methods. The company emphasized that these measures are part of its broader content moderation requirements for all developers.
Source: The Verge
