Instagram, Facebook ran AI ‘nudify’ ads from China, NGO says
Meta’s Facebook and Instagram served thousands of advertisements promoting AI powered “nudify” applications, despite company policies explicitly prohibiting this type of content. According to an investigation by the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, many of these advertisements were connected to GatherOne, a Beijing based company that is one of Meta’s authorized advertising partners in China.
GatherOne was reportedly responsible for around 7,600 advertisements promoting mobile applications capable of digitally removing women’s clothing, placing women’s faces onto nude bodies and generating sexualized videos. One China developed application also reportedly allowed users to share material that some users had flagged as child sexual abuse material.
The findings are significant because Meta’s own advertising policies prohibit sexually suggestive advertisements and services designed to digitally undress people. The Tech Transparency Project argues that the scale of the advertising campaign demonstrates weaknesses in Meta’s enforcement of those policies.
The investigation identified a much larger advertising network associated with GatherOne. Researchers found 210 Facebook pages connected with the company, which collectively ran roughly 30,800 advertisements for face swapping and AI applications. Of these pages, 43 promoted apps specifically designed to create non consensual sexual imagery.
The relationship with GatherOne is particularly important because Facebook and Instagram are unavailable inside China. Chinese companies seeking international customers therefore rely on intermediary advertising agencies authorized to place campaigns on Meta’s global platforms. GatherOne is one of approximately a dozen such Meta partners.
Tech Transparency Project director Katie Paul accused Meta of effectively giving preferential treatment to an important Chinese advertising partner. The organization argues that Meta’s repeated statements about combating deepfake pornography are inconsistent with the large number of prohibited advertisements that successfully reached its platforms.
Meta rejected the suggestion that it tolerates this activity. The company said it does not allow non consensual intimate imagery or nudify applications and takes aggressive measures against them. It also said advertisers violating its standards can face removed advertisements, financial penalties and termination of their advertising accounts.
GatherOne similarly said it complies with Meta’s advertising rules and international legal requirements. The company said it maintains zero tolerance policies covering adult content, non consensual AI generated explicit material, child exploitation, fraud and deceptive practices.
Overall, the investigation highlights the continuing difficulty major technology platforms face in preventing AI tools designed for sexual exploitation from being commercially promoted through their own advertising systems. It also raises questions about how effectively Meta supervises authorized advertising partners operating in strategically important markets such as China.
