Meta sues Chinese AI app maker behind deepfakes that create fake nudes from photos

Meta sues Chinese app developer for using Meta is taking legal action against a Chinese app maker accused of using artificial intelligence to generate deepfake nudes from photos of clothed individuals. The app, marketed under the name “CrushAI,” is operated by Hong Kong-based Joy Timeline HK Limited. Meta has filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong seeking to ban the company from advertising on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

“This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it,” Meta said in a statement.

According to the suit, Joy Timeline made “multiple attempts” to bypass Meta’s ad filters, a tactic not uncommon in the growing ecosystem of so-called “nudify” apps. These apps often disguise their true function behind innocuous visuals and coded language to sneak past moderation systems. Meta says it has expanded its detection systems, incorporating a wider range of flagged terms, phrases, and even emojis to catch deceptive ads.

Despite those efforts, experts say the problem persists. “Even as Meta made this announcement, I could find dozens of live CrushAI ads on the platform,” Alexios Mantzarlis, author of the Faked Up blog told CNN, adding that thousands of such ads have circulated on Meta’s platforms over time.