Meta targets "Nudify" app developers: a turning point in the fight against predatory AI

Meta has just gone on the legal offensive. The social media giant has filed a lawsuit against Joy Timeline HK Ltd., based in Hong Kong, the company behind CrushAI—a software that uses AI to generate non-consensual sexualized images.

Why it is important

This is not just a quarrel between platforms. Meta accuses Joy Timeline of circumventing its ad review system to promote the app on Facebook and Instagram, and this despite repeated removals. “Nudify apps” are not harmless: they fuel online harassment, extortion, and worse, the exploitation of children.

A CBS News investigation revealed hundreds of listings for these tools on Meta platforms—some remaining visible even after attempts to remove them.

Meta's Response

The platform strengthens its arsenal:

• New AI system to detect harmful ads (even without explicit nudity)
• Deactivation of four coordinated networks
• Sharing threat information with other tech giants

The context

This action comes under increasing pressure from lawmakers and researchers. Generative AI applications that create intimate content without consent are no longer a gray area—they are becoming a digital crime problem.

Major issue: as AI proliferates, manual moderators are no longer sufficient. Meta is betting on automation—but can it really keep up with the pace of technological circumvention?