Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to more explicitly ban “nudify” apps—AI-powered tools that generate intimate images of individuals without their consent. The policy shift follows significant public and legal pressure after users of X utilized the Grok AI tool earlier this year to create nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes, some of which depicted minors.
Proactive Moderation Requirements
Under the revised terms, developers are now mandated to “proactively prevent and remove” nonconsensual intimate imagery as part of the platform's content moderation requirements. Apple stated that developers who fail to implement adequate safeguards or neglect to remedy violations after receiving notice may face removal from the App Store.
The company also clarified regulations regarding “bait-and-switch” tactics. This refers to apps that receive approval for benign functions but later introduce “nudification” features through updates. Such behavior is now explicitly prohibited under the updated framework.
Zero Tolerance for Exploitation
The rules further specify that any applications facilitating human trafficking or the exploitation of children will be summarily pulled from the App Store. Crucially, Apple noted these apps will also be “blocked from alternative distribution” channels. These updates follow a series of events, including protests at June’s WWDC event and a July order from a San Francisco city attorney demanding the removal of 13 specific “nudify” apps, a request with which Apple complied.
