San Francisco's chief law officer has instructed Apple and Google to purge dozens of artificial intelligence applications designed to digitally create fake intimate images of people without their consent. The move enforces existing California statutes that criminalize facilitating non-consensual deepfake pornography and permit victims to sue third parties that enable its distribution.

Authorities allege the technology companies received multiple formal warnings beginning in January yet maintained these tools on their platforms while collecting fees from their sale, potentially generating millions in revenue. The city has set a four-week deadline for removal and signalled that failure to comply could trigger civil litigation.