Another investigation has uncovered dozens of mobile apps that can digitally remove the clothing of women in photos, still present on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and this resembles a new alarm of the risks of using these apps, as well as the consent and the implementation of the rules of the platforms.
This is based on the report by the Tech Transparency Project that analyzed the apps available on the two platforms. The report reported that 55 of such apps were available in Google Play and 47 in the App Store. Such applications apply artificial intelligence to manipulate photos, and images of fully dressed women are converted to sexualised or naked ones without the consent of the individual.
According to researchers, a lot of these apps can be found when typing such words as nudify or undress. Certain apps will promise to make fully nude images, and other ones will edit photos to display women wearing sexy clothes like a bikini or underwear.
The report estimates that the apps were downloaded over 700 million times all over the global arena and the apps earned approximately 117 million dollars in revenues. Apple and Google are also making money off the applications since they also have a share in in-app purchases and their subscriptions.
The case seems to be rather counter productive to the mentioned policies of the two companies. The policies of Google do not allow applications purporting to strip individuals or exhibit sexual nudity, its policies, whereas Apple has policies that do not permit applications to generate offensive or sexually explicit material.
Nevertheless, the report established that a good number of these apps were allowed to pass review processes and were allowed to be downloaded. Researchers also tried a number of applications with AI-generated sample images. The apps could produce sexualised or nude-looking pictures in a few seconds, even with free basic features.
In other instances, the apps were considered appropriate among the youth or were included as the suitable ones among a general audience, which further raised concerns.
Others had one tap features that put clothes in a picture away, and others had features where one could simply type simple text prompts requesting the subject to take off their clothes. According to the report, such requests were done without caution or substantial protection.
Once notified of the findings, Apple and Google went ahead and removed several apps. Apple claimed that it deleted a number of apps and advised other developers and Google claimed that it suspended and subsequently deleted over 30 apps in a review. Nevertheless, the authors of the report reported that both platforms still have a number of similar apps that are still operational.
It has become an urgent problem in the context of a broader international interest in the problem of the misuse of artificial intelligence tools to generate non-consent intimate images, commonly known as deepfake abuse. Members of parliament and other regulators in various nations are currently investigating the way that tech services manage this content and whether their control should be tightened.
The report holds that it is not just a few bad actors and points to the broader flaws in the way in which app stores apply their own safety standards.
According to critics, the fact that these apps still exist demonstrates that the policies of the companies and their actual moderation do not coincide, which shows women and girls in the spotlight of targeted harassment and exploitation at the internet.
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With the heightened attention, there is a possibility of an increased pressure on big tech corporations to enhance inspection measures and make sure that AI-enhanced tools are not employed to infringe the privacy and consent.
