FACEBOOK IS CONTINUING to advertise third-party apps that enable users to create explicit, deepfake images of women and children without their consent.

The Journal has seen ads for at least 16 so-called nudification mobile apps on the platform this week, a year after revealing that the platform hosted almost 10,000 ads for similar services online.

The latest batch of ads link to third-party stores like Google Play and Apple’s App Store. The ads feature a mix of explicit imagery, women wearing revealing clothing and captions which encourage users to create non-consensual AI pornography.

Some of the apps appear to be scams that aim to capitalise on an apparent demand for nudification services following the controversy surrounding Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok.

However, others enable users to edit women and children into pornographic scenes without their consent; though most require payment, a handful offer the service free of charge. 

The issue has come under the spotlight after Grok was criticised for allowing users to alter images of real women and children so that they appeared to be wearing revealing clothing or in non-consensual sexual imagery.

AI minister Niamh Smyth and Attorney General Rossa Fanning met with representatives from X, the platform where Grok is available and which has headquarters in Dublin, to discuss the controversy last week.

However, Facebook, Apple and Google – all of whom also have headquarters in Ireland – could now be drawn into the controversy for advertising and hosting apps that raise similar concerns to Grok.

The 16 mobile apps seen by The Journal are billed as “photo transformation” services that allow users to modify still images and videos by swapping faces or changing clothes.

Their listings on the Apple App and Google Play stores give no indication that they can be used to create non-consensual hardcore pornography using AI.

Facebook ads for each of the 16 apps prominently advertise their ability to create deepfake pornography by uploading any image.

However, each of the apps contains a mixture of real and AI-generated pornographic scenes when they are opened, and users are encouraged to swap faces from real images on to new images or videos.   

Almost all of the apps immediately show pornographic content when opened, with some including prompts for users to “swap faces” or into existing hardcore videos or to “make someone undress” or “lift up clothes” using AI on an uploaded image.

Deemed suitable for children

All of the apps that featured on the Google Play were listed as suitable for children, with a mix of PEGI ratings saying they are suitable for people aged 3 up to those aged 12 and over; another two had parental guidance ratings and one had a 16 rating.

One app seen on Apple’s App Store indicated that it was suitable for children aged 4 and up, though another app that described itself as an “AI video generator” had an 18+ rating.

Though most require payment to perform these services, one of the apps seen by The Journal allows users to swap any face on to a pornographic video for free once a day.

The Facebook advertisements for the apps also explicitly encourage their use for face-swapping, with captions including “change the face in any video” or “create a hot video from just one photo” beside real videos of women in suggestive clothing.

Several of the ads show AI videos of women removing their clothing to show themselves naked, while others show cropped videos of women performing or about to perform sex acts.

Some include images of American actress Sydney Sweeney and singer Billie Eilish as examples of how users can upload an image to swap anyone’s face on to pornographic footage, or to create an explicit AI image. 

The majority of the apps stated that they were developed in China, though three listed their developer’s address in Pakistan, another two gave addresses in Bangladesh, and two more developers had addresses in the United States.

Research by Indicator, a website that reports in digital deception, this week suggested that more than 4,000 ads for these apps have appeared on Meta’s platforms since the start of December.

The ads flagged by The Journal were deactivated once they were flagged with Meta, a spokesperson confirmed.

In a statement, the company said it “prohibits the display of nudity or sexual activity in ads or organic posts” and said it would “continue to invest in the best tools and technology” to remove content that violated its policies.

Google did not respond to requests for comment when asked about whether the apps complied with its policies, and what measures are in place to verify whether PEGI ratings for apps on its store are appropriate.

Tánaiste Simon Harris told the Dáil yesterday that ministers will hear proposals in the coming weeks to deal with the issue of non-consensual images generated by AI.

He described the phenomenon as “dehumanising, degrading and disgusting” and said that Ireland can lead in “innovation” and “protecting our values, protecting children, protecting women and making sure technology is never abused”.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the European Commission is considering a ban nudification apps in the wake of the controversy surrounding Grok.