San Francisco demands Apple and Google remove nudify apps

San Francisco is pushing Apple and Google to remove dozens of so-called nudify apps from their app stores, adding legal pressure to two companies whose mobile platforms collect fees from app payments. For everyday investors, the case is another reminder that app store revenue comes with platform risk: regulators can challenge not just what companies sell, but what they allow others to sell.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sent letters to Apple and Google demanding action against apps that use artificial intelligence to alter images so people appear unclothed, according to TechCrunch, which reviewed the letters. These tools are tied to non-consensual intimate images, often shortened to NCII, meaning sexual or intimate images created or shared without the person’s consent.

California law criminalizes conduct that knowingly helps or recklessly assists the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography, according to the city attorney’s office. A deepfake is AI-generated or AI-altered media that makes it appear as if someone did or appeared in something they did not. California also passed a 2025 law allowing victims to bring civil claims against third parties that facilitate this type of material.

Chiu’s office says Apple and Google have continued to host and profit from apps that fall under those rules. In an emailed statement reported by TechCrunch, Chiu said, “Apple and Google are profiting off apps that exploit women and girls by generating nonconsensual intimate deepfakes.” He added that the companies had removed some problematic apps but still had a duty to be proactive and vigilant.

Why the payment role matters

The letters from Chiu’s office say Apple and Google have been aware for almost a year that they were processing payments tied to illegal purchases, according to TechCrunch. Payment processing matters because both companies operate app marketplaces where developers can charge users, and the platform operator can collect fees from those transactions.

Chiu told Wired that Apple and Google had likely earned “millions of dollars in fees” from apps offering these services. The letters warn that the companies could face civil penalties for violating California law and ask them to contact the city within 28 days, according to TechCrunch.

The warnings did not come out of nowhere. The Tech Transparency Project, a watchdog group, issued reports and sent letters to both companies in January and April, according to Chiu’s letters. The group said it found dozens of apps in Apple’s and Google’s stores that sold deepfake NCII while using payment systems processed by the companies.

In its April report, the Tech Transparency Project accused Apple and Google of directing users toward these apps and called the companies important participants in the spread of AI tools that can turn real people into sexualized images. That is an allegation from the watchdog group, not a court finding.

TechCrunch reported that it contacted Apple and Google for comment. The companies’ responses were not included in the report.

Deepfake pornography has frequently targeted female celebrities, according to reporting cited by TechCrunch. Nudify apps widen the risk because they can be used against people whose photos are publicly available online, making the issue broader than celebrity privacy or content moderation alone.

This story draws on original reporting from TechCrunch.