Meta Faces Backlash Over AI Nudify App Ads Linked to Chinese Advertising Partner

A watchdog group focused on tech accountability says Instagram and Facebook carried thousands of promotions for AI “nudify” apps, tools that digitally strip clothing from photos of women and generate fake sexual content. The ads reportedly came through a Beijing based advertising partner that helps Chinese companies reach audiences overseas, even though both platforms remain blocked inside China itself.

Child Safety Concerns Raised Over One App

One flagged app let users swap faces onto explicit images, and some reviewers claimed it contained material resembling child exploitation content. The app has since been pulled from the Google Play Store, and the advertising partner says it has cut ties with the account behind it.

Companies Respond to the Findings

Meta says such ads violate its policies and pledged stronger enforcement, while the advertising partner says it is upgrading its compliance systems. Lawmakers have already passed rules requiring platforms to remove non consensual explicit content, with federal regulators now enforcing those protections.