San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google, accusing the companies of profiting from AI-powered “nudify” applications that create non-consensual intimate images. The letters, dated July 17, name 13 apps — eight on Apple’s App Store and five on Google Play — and give the companies 28 days to remove them.
The legal strategy sidesteps traditional Section 230 protections by targeting the companies’ payment systems. Apple and Google collect revenue shares from in-app purchases made through these apps, which the Tech Transparency Project estimates have generated over $122 million in lifetime revenue across 483 million downloads.
Chiu’s office is drawing on a 2025 California statute that expanded liability for entities facilitating the creation or distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, with civil penalties reaching $25,000 per violation. The city attorney previously pursued 16 deepfake nude websites in 2024 and 2025, securing settlements and shutdowns using a similar playbook.
Apple spokesperson Adam Dema told WIRED that the company has removed three of the flagged apps and begun terminating associated developer accounts, leaving 10 of the 13 still available. Google spokesperson Dan Jackson said the company had already removed hundreds of nudification apps for Play Store policy violations.
If California courts accept the revenue-share theory, the ruling could create a template for other jurisdictions, challenging the longstanding position that app stores are neutral distributors rather than active commercial participants in third-party app transactions.
