Within seconds, an app can turn anyone’s photo into an explicit image. The law is catching up to make this a criminal offence, but we need to do more. Last week, the office of the San Francisco City Attorney issued a landmark lawsuit.
It’s accusing 16 “nudify” websites of violating United States laws in relation to non-consensual intimate images and child abuse material. “Nudify” sites and apps are easy to use. They let anyone upload a photo of a real person to generate a fake but photorealistic image of what they might look like undressed.
Within seconds, someone’s photo becomes an explicit image. In the first half of 2024, the 16 websites named in the lawsuit have been visited more than 200 million times. One of the sites says: “Imagine wasting time taking her out on dates, when you can just use [redacted site] to get her nudes”.
These sites are also advertised on social media . Since the start of this year, there has been a 2400% increase in advertising of nudify apps or sites on social media..
