Apple Revamps Guidelines to Prohibit Nude Content Apps Disguised as Standard Offerings
Over the weekend, Apple updated its developer guidelines to prohibit apps that utilize artificial intelligence to produce inappropriate content. This includes apps that disguise their true functionality to fool the App Store review process, later revealing features such as nudification.
The revised guidelines emphasize the responsibilities of app developers regarding AI and user-generated content. Developers are now required to implement adequate measures to manage and moderate potentially harmful or offensive material.
“Apps that feature user-generated content must be equipped to filter out inappropriate material, provide users with the ability to report offensive content, and offer a means for users to block abusive accounts. The App Store will not accept applications that contain hidden features or misrepresent their functions during the review process, particularly those that unveil harmful functions—like nudification—only after gaining approval, a tactic often referred to as bait-and-switch,” the company stated in a recent announcement.
Apple reiterated its intention to remove any applications that introduce features that were not included in the original submission for App Store review.
Additionally, the updated legal language reinforces Apple’s stance against apps that endorse human trafficking and the exploitation of minors.
Last year, Apple revealed that its review process had prevented over 150,000 apps from being made available to users and had suspended 193,000 developer accounts due to fraudulent activities.
In July, San Francisco city officials instructed both Apple and Google to eliminate nudification apps from their stores. City Attorney David Chiu accused the companies of profiting from these applications through their store fees. A report from the Tech Transparency Project in April also highlighted that both companies hosted several nudification apps, some of which were deemed appropriate for children.
