The San Francisco city attorney, David Chiu, is demanding that Apple and Google remove 13 so-called undressing apps – programs that generate deceptively realistic nude images from uploaded photos. Eight of them were available in the App Store, five on Google Play. Following demand letters sent on July 16, both companies have 28 days to respond.
California Law Allows Lawsuits Against Intermediaries
The basis is two California laws: one makes it a crime to knowingly enable or recklessly assist the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography. A second law, in effect since 2025, additionally allows affected individuals to file civil lawsuits against intermediaries such as app stores if they knowingly facilitate the distribution of such content. Apple and Google have earned millions in fees from the apps over the years, Chiu alleges, according to TechCrunch. Both companies have profited from apps that exploit women and girls through non-consensual intimate deepfakes and must act more proactively, the city attorney said. Speaking to MacRumors, Chiu called the apps’ practices “illegal, harmful, and completely unacceptable.” He is also demanding that the companies cut off payment processing and developer accounts for the providers involved. The Tech Transparency Project had already warned about the apps in January and April 2026. The demand letters themselves deliberately do not name the apps in question, to avoid drawing further attention to them.
Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that it generally prohibits apps that generate, distribute, or make pornography accessible. The company said it has already removed three of the named apps, terminated the associated developer accounts, and contacted four other providers over rule violations. Users can also report violations via the reportaproblem.apple.com page. Google told MacRumors it has already deleted hundreds of apps with undressing features for policy violations, including the five named in the letter. Apple had tightened its App Store guidelines on developer responsibility for pornographic content back in June 2026. Unlike earlier lawsuits, this move targets platform operators directly for the first time, rather than individual website operators. Despite existing rules and earlier warnings, the apps remained available in the stores for months before the city stepped in.
What matters now is whether Apple and Google treat the deadline as a precedent for other cities or wait for an actual lawsuit to follow. It remains unclear whether Chiu will actually go to court if there is no response once the 28 days are up.
