Apple Tightens App Store Rules Against Non-Consensual Intimate AI Deepfakes

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to explicitly prohibit applications that generate intimate deepfake images of real individuals without consent. Developers must now implement measures to prevent creation and distribution of such content and promptly remove any instances that appear. The company also banned the practice of submitting apps with hidden functionality that is activated after passing review, a tactic previously used by undressing services. Violations can result in both app removal and expulsion from the Apple Developer Program. The move follows similar actions against xAI's Grok chatbot, which added safeguards after Apple threatened removal over the same issue. The policy targets non-consensual intimate imagery rather than all deepfake technology.

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Apple has strengthened its App Store policies to combat applications that create intimate AI-generated deepfakes of real people without their consent.

Under the new rules, developers must actively prevent the generation of such content and remove it when detected. Failure to comply risks complete removal of the application from the store.

The company has also banned the use of hidden features that are activated after an app passes review. This technique has been employed by certain undressing services that initially present a benign version to moderators before swapping in the actual functionality.

Violations of these rules can now lead to more severe consequences, including exclusion from the Apple Developer Program in addition to app delisting.

The updated policy was highlighted in reporting by 9to5Mac. It references the case of Grok from xAI, where developers introduced protective measures against non-consensual intimate imagery following Apple's threat to remove the chatbot from the platform.

The changes do not amount to a blanket ban on all deepfakes but focus specifically on non-consensual intimate content, making it significantly riskier for developers to conceal such features while distributing apps.

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