Wired finds network of 400+ apps hiding AI sexual deepfake tools

Mixed · 2A Wired investigation found a network of more than 400 connected domains and apps that present as everyday services, such as language tuition, AI pet pictures or workout coaching, but under certain conditions load a web interface for generating sexually explicit AI images and videos from photos users upload. 1 2 Mixed · 2The interface includes scene templates such as "bedroom rape" and "threatening knife", in which a man holds a knife to a woman's neck, and lets users buy "diamonds" to generate content. 1 2 Mixed · 2Researchers found the network while following links from thousands of explicit deepfake video ads on Meta's Facebook and Instagram. Wired had earlier reported that hundreds of those ads contained AI-generated child sexual abuse material, including images of real children and a member of a European royal family. The ads reached tens of thousands of people and prompted regulatory investigations in several countries. 1 2

Mixed · 2Paul Bouchaud, a lead researcher at the nonprofit AI Forensics, reverse engineered the apps. He said each download sends the server details such as the user's origin, language and a unique identifier, and the server replies whether to show the explicit or the benign version. One apparent trigger is downloading the app after clicking a related Meta ad. 1 2 Mixed · 2The apps' websites often show a black screen, with the URL updated to include the word "risk". A JavaScript bundle in their code lists the network's domains and apps, along with encryption keys and Facebook ad trackers. Maël Le Touz, a staff threat researcher at security firm Infoblox, identified almost 500 linked domains. 1 2 Mixed · 2Bouchaud's analysis of domain registrations found the apps began appearing toward the end of 2025 and spiked in spring 2026, with around 30 nudify apps or websites registered each week at one point. In September, 27 were live on Google Play with more than 350,000 combined downloads, and many were rated suitable for all ages. One of the most popular, DiffAI, created in December 2025, had been downloaded more than 100,000 times. 1 2

Mixed · 2Wired reported that the apps and domains appear to be run by Chinese developers and a Hong Kong-registered entity called KeLing Technology Limited. It based this on a review of web domains and how the services operate, and the entity did not respond to requests for comment. The evidence for a Chinese origin includes exclusive Chinese hosting, code with Chinese comments, and ad videos watermarked by Chinese-language editing software. Operators used generic privacy policies, free Gmail and Outlook addresses, obscure developer names and apparently fake Meta advertiser names. 1 2 Mixed · 2Google did not respond to Wired's request for comment, but had removed most of the apps before being contacted. Apple removed 19 apps, including the pet photo app Viefur, after Wired shared the associated domains. 1 2 Left · 1Apple spokesperson Adam Dema said nudification apps are strictly prohibited and that the apps complied with the rules when reviewed. He said developers then changed the website each app pulls content from and promoted it through pornographic ads on a third-party platform. Apple says it has suspended tens of thousands of apps for such "bait-and-switch" tactics over the past year and recently tightened its rules on "nudify" tools. 1

Left · 1Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, who first uncovered the ads showing explicit deepfakes of minors, said the ads violate several Meta policies and that tech companies must explain where the apps' money goes and how the operators keep bypassing moderation. Bouchaud said the operators "don't expect enforcement to catch up, and so far it hasn't." Portions of the network had been reported by Danish journalists in September. 1