Hundreds of AI apps hide deepfake abuse features
Wired AI: Hundreds of Mundane AI Apps Are Hiding Sexually Abusive Deepfake Features
WIRED uncovered some 400 apps and websites linked to Chinese-language developers that look like regular AI tools but had secret features that let users create violent AI-generated images and video.
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Researchers discovered a network of hundreds of apps and websites that appear to be ordinary tools like pet photo generators or language tutors but secretly contain features allowing users to create sexually abusive deepfake images and videos. The apps use a hidden system that determines whether to show legitimate content or load an explicit deepfake interface, often triggered when users download the app after clicking associated advertisements. The network operates as an organized commercial operation run by Chinese developers and a Hong Kong entity, with the apps distributed through major app stores where they collectively received hundreds of thousands of downloads. This discovery emerged after investigators traced explicit deepfake content, including child sexual abuse material, that appeared in thousands of video advertisements on social media platforms.
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