Facebook and Instagram served 7,600 AI nudify ads despite Meta policy ban

New Delhi: Meta is facing renewed criticism after a report alleged that Facebook and Instagram displayed thousands of advertisements promoting AI-powered “nudify” apps, despite the company’s policies banning such content. The claims have come months after the social media giant in India was questioned about advertisements for child sexual abuse.

A report from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found that approximately 7,600 ads were pointing to the AI service from GatherOne, a Beijing-based ad company that collaborates with Meta, urging users to try these tools to create fake nude photos and sexually explicit videos. The results are reported first by Bloomberg.

Thousands of AI nudify ads allegedly ran on Meta platforms

It says that the advertised apps could superimpose a woman’s face on a nude body or even create explicit videos using AI. A feature of one app highlighted by TTP was that it apparently allowed for the sharing of content marked by some people as child sexual abuse material.

Meta’s ad policies say things like promoting an image of someone without their consent or an app that removes the clothes from a picture are against the rules. But TTP said these ads still appeared on Facebook and Instagram before they were pulled down.

Meta and GatherOne respond to allegations

In response, Meta’s Head of Women’s Safety Policy Cindy Southworth told Bloomberg that the company does not have any apps for nudifying people or for showing intimate images without consent. If advertisers are found to have violated Meta policies, they could have their ads removed, possibly face fines or even have their account terminated, she said.

GatherOne said that it did not violate Meta’s rules and that it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding deceptive advertising, adult content, artificial intelligence-generated explicit content, child exploitation, and fraud. The company also announced that it has paused the development of new accounts for AI nudify and face-swap features and enhanced its compliance programme.

Since then, Meta has taken steps to restrict the Android app, BAfter, and links to other AI nudify apps listed in the report, Bloomberg reports.