Meta ads promoted apps that 'nudify' real children

A recent investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has revealed that Meta's advertising platforms, Facebook and Instagram, hosted hundreds of ads promoting AI-powered 'nudify' applications. These apps use generative AI to create non-consensual sexual imagery of individuals, including real children. The TTP report identified 332 instances where Meta failed to detect ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), some of which featured photos of a young European royal and a preteen influencer. These ads, largely originating from China-based developers, animated static photos into graphic sexual videos. The report highlights significant failures in Meta's content moderation systems, as the company took days to remove the harmful content. This incident underscores the growing legal and ethical crisis surrounding AI-generated CSAM, which federal authorities treat with the same severity as traditional child exploitation material.