Apple tightens App Store rules on non-consensual AI intimate images
Apple has updated its App Store rules to explicitly target apps that use AI to create intimate images of people without their consent. The move follows criticism over sexualised deepfakes made with Grok, including images of minors, and pressure on Apple to remove apps that enable this.
Under the updated rules, developers must proactively prevent and remove non-consensual sexual images, and apps may be removed if safeguards are inadequate or violations are not fixed after notice. Apple also clarified that apps cannot add or change features such as “nudification” after approval, and that apps facilitating human trafficking or child exploitation will be removed and blocked from alternative distribution.
- Apple has made its ban on AI “nudify” apps more explicit.
- Developers must prevent and remove non-consensual sexual images.
- Apps enabling child exploitation can be blocked from alternative distribution.
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The App Store is Apple’s marketplace for apps on its devices. Apple sets rules for developers who want to offer apps there, including requirements for how apps handle harmful content.
AI tools can generate or alter images, sometimes making realistic sexual images of people who did not agree to them. These images are often called non-consensual intimate images; when they depict someone as doing or wearing something they did not, they may also be described as deepfakes.
The issue has drawn attention after sexualised images made with Grok, an AI tool, prompted criticism, including over images of minors. Apple’s rules matter because they set conditions for apps distributed through its store and can affect whether developers may continue offering them there.
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The case for
Apple’s clearer rules could help prevent serious harm by requiring developers to stop non-consensual intimate images from being created or shared, including images of children. The threat of removal gives the company a way to act when safeguards fail, and explicit limits may make expectations fairer for developers and users.
The case against
App Store restrictions can reduce access to harmful tools, but broad or uncertain rules may also lead developers to over-remove lawful content or useful image-editing features to avoid losing distribution. Apple’s significant control over app access makes clear definitions, consistent enforcement and a way to challenge decisions important for users and developers.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Apple’s updated App Store rules go after ‘nudify’ AI apps”.