Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to more explicitly ban “nudify” apps that use AI to generate intimate images of people without consent. The revised rules say developers must proactively prevent and remove nonconsensual sexual imagery as part of content moderation, and those who fail to implement adequate safeguards or do not remedy violations after notice may be removed from the App Store.
The changes follow criticism after X users used Grok earlier this year to create sexualized deepfakes, including of minors. Apple did not remove X or Grok from the App Store, but told senators it threatened to yank Grok. At WWDC in June, protestors called for removal of Grok, X, and all nudify technology, and in July a San Francisco city attorney ordered Apple to remove 13 nudify apps, which Apple said it did.
Apple also clarified its rule against bait-and-switch apps, which add or change features such as “nudification” after approval. The guidelines now state that apps facilitating human trafficking or exploitation of children will be pulled and blocked from alternative distribution.