Latest news with #JoyTimeline
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meta sues deepfake ‘nudify' app which uses AI to remove clothing from photos
Meta is suing a Chinese app maker that uses artificial intelligence to take images of clothed people and turn them into nudes. "CrushAI" — the company behind the app used to make the deepfake nudes — is operated by Joy Timeline HK Limited. Meta filed a lawsuit against the company in Hong Kong to ban it from advertising its services on Meta platforms, CBS News reports. "This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it," Meta said in a statement. "We'll continue to take necessary steps — which could include legal action — against those who abuse our platforms like this." According to the lawsuit, Joy Timeline made "multiple attempts" to try to get around Meta's ad review process. Joy Timeline's app isn't the first app of its kind and previous apps that promise to make clothed photos into nudes have actually managed to bypass ad filters on major social media platforms — including Meta — in order to hawk their software. The company said that the "nudify" apps have devised various ways of skirting past the ad filter, including by using inoffensive imagery to try to fly under the radar. "We've worked with external experts and our own specialist teams to expand the list of safety-related terms, phrases and emojis that our systems are trained to detect with these ads," Meta said in a statement. Alexios Mantzarlis, the author of the Faked Up blog, told the BBC there had been "at least 10,000 ads" promoting nudify apps on Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms. "Even as [Meta] was making this announcement, I was able to find a dozen ads by CrushAI live on the platform and a hundred more from other 'nudifiers'," he told the broadcaster. "This abuse vector requires continued monitoring from researchers and the media to keep platforms accountable and curtail the reach of these noxious tools." The threat of the software is that anyone could feasibly take a photo and, without the photo subject's consent, turn it into a fake nude. Meta said that it bans "non-consensual intimate imagery" on its platforms, and previously told CBS News that it removes any ads on its platforms for "nudify" apps. On Thursday, Meta said it would work with the Tech Coalition's Lantern Program — aimed at tracking sites that break child safety rules — to share information with other tech companies about apps, sites, or companies that violate its policies.
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Meta sues company for using Facebook ads to promote AI app that creates fake nude images
Meta (Credit: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes) Meta sues Hong Kong firm Joy Timeline over AI nude image ads The company has been promoting the CrushAI app that creates non-consensual explicit AI images The lawsuit aims to block such ads on Meta platforms in Hong Kong Earlier this year, news reports pointed out that Meta's Instagram was witnessing a bug, showcasing explicit content in the Reel feed. This content included violent sexual attacks, grievous injuries, and other inappropriate videos. While Meta called it a mistake at that time, another similar issue has caught the eye. But this time, Meta is on the other side. In a recent blogpost, the company called out a Hong Kong-based company for advertising consensual intimate imagery using Facebook ads. Meta has also decided to take legal actions against the same. The blogpost stated, "We're suing Joy Timeline HK Limited, the entity behind CrushAI apps, which allow people to create AI-generated nude or sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. We've filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong, where Joy Timeline HK Limited is based, to prevent them from advertising CrushAI apps on Meta platforms." Meta stated that the app alters photos of individuals, frequently targeting women, to produce non-consensual nude images. The company said Joy Timeline repeatedly broke advertising policies by trying to evade its ad review system, leading Meta to file a lawsuit in Hong Kong to block the ads from resurfacing. 'This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it,' Meta said in a statement. 'We'll continue to take the necessary stepsâ€'which could include legal actionâ€'against those who abuse our platforms like this.' The lawsuit follows rising concern from researchers and lawmakers over the spread of so-called 'nudify' apps. These apps have been found online, in app stores, and in Meta's own ad system. In February, US Senator Dick Durbin wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging the company to address its involvement in allowing Joy Timeline to advertise CrushAI. The app is accused of breaching Meta's own policies on adult content, sexual activity and harassment. Durbin's concerns were backed by investigations from tech outlet 404 Media and research conducted by Cornell Tech's Alexios Mantzarlis, which uncovered that over 8,000 CrushAI advertisements appeared on Meta's platforms within just the first fortnight of the year. In response, Meta has said it is stepping up enforcement measures by deploying enhanced detection systems capable of identifying such adverts even in the absence of explicit nudity. The company is also implementing content matching tools to swiftly detect and remove duplicate or copycat ads. Furthermore, Meta stated it has been collaborating with both external experts and its own specialised internal teams to monitor how developers of 'nudify' apps attempt to circumvent content moderation efforts. 'We have applied the same strategies used to dismantle coordinated inauthentic behaviour networks in order to locate and eliminate groups of accounts responsible for these advertisements,' Meta explained. The company reported that it has taken down four such networks since the beginning of the year. Meta added that it intends to share intelligence on these apps with other technology companies to assist them in addressing similar threats on their own platforms. Earlier this year, news reports pointed out that Meta's Instagram was witnessing a bug, showcasing explicit content in the Reel feed. This content included violent sexual attacks, grievous injuries, and other inappropriate videos. While Meta called it a mistake at that time, another similar issue has caught the eye. But this time, Meta is on the other side. In a recent blogpost, the company called out a Hong Kong-based company for advertising consensual intimate imagery using Facebook ads. Meta has also decided to take legal actions against the same. The blogpost stated, "We're suing Joy Timeline HK Limited, the entity behind CrushAI apps, which allow people to create AI-generated nude or sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. We've filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong, where Joy Timeline HK Limited is based, to prevent them from advertising CrushAI apps on Meta platforms." Meta stated that the app alters photos of individuals, frequently targeting women, to produce non-consensual nude images. The company said Joy Timeline repeatedly broke advertising policies by trying to evade its ad review system, leading Meta to file a lawsuit in Hong Kong to block the ads from resurfacing. 'This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it,' Meta said in a statement. 'We'll continue to take the necessary stepsâ€'which could include legal actionâ€'against those who abuse our platforms like this.' The lawsuit follows rising concern from researchers and lawmakers over the spread of so-called 'nudify' apps. These apps have been found online, in app stores, and in Meta's own ad system. In February, US Senator Dick Durbin wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging the company to address its involvement in allowing Joy Timeline to advertise CrushAI. The app is accused of breaching Meta's own policies on adult content, sexual activity and harassment. Durbin's concerns were backed by investigations from tech outlet 404 Media and research conducted by Cornell Tech's Alexios Mantzarlis, which uncovered that over 8,000 CrushAI advertisements appeared on Meta's platforms within just the first fortnight of the year. In response, Meta has said it is stepping up enforcement measures by deploying enhanced detection systems capable of identifying such adverts even in the absence of explicit nudity. The company is also implementing content matching tools to swiftly detect and remove duplicate or copycat ads. Furthermore, Meta stated it has been collaborating with both external experts and its own specialised internal teams to monitor how developers of 'nudify' apps attempt to circumvent content moderation efforts. 'We have applied the same strategies used to dismantle coordinated inauthentic behaviour networks in order to locate and eliminate groups of accounts responsible for these advertisements,' Meta explained. The company reported that it has taken down four such networks since the beginning of the year. Meta added that it intends to share intelligence on these apps with other technology companies to assist them in addressing similar threats on their own platforms. Join our WhatsApp Channel
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Meta sues Hong Kong firm over AI app making non-consensual explicit images
Meta Platforms is taking a Hong Kong company to court for allegedly using its social media accounts to promote an app that uses artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit images of people without their consent. In a statement released on its website on Thursday, the American multinational technology company said it had filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against Joy Timeline HK Limited to prevent the latter from advertising CrushAI apps on Meta's platforms. The app in question allows people to use AI software to create nude or sexually explicit images of people without their consent, the company said. Meta alleged that the Hong Kong company had repeatedly tried to circumvent the tech giant's ad review processes and continued to show content promoting the app after it was removed for breaking Meta's rules. The techniques allegedly used in attempts to get past the review procedures included disguising the adverts' content or their landing page, according to Meta. The lawsuit is part of Meta's efforts to crack down on 'nudify' apps.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meta sues Chinese maker of deepfake AI app that takes clothed pictures and turns them into nudes
Meta is suing a Chinese app maker that uses artificial intelligence to take images of clothed people and turn them into nudes. "CrushAI" — the company behind the app used to make the deepfake nudes — is operated by Joy Timeline HK Limited. Meta filed a lawsuit against the company in Hong Kong to ban it from advertising its services on Meta platforms, CBS News reports. "This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it," Meta said in a statement. "We'll continue to take necessary steps — which could include legal action — against those who abuse our platforms like this." According to the lawsuit, Joy Timeline made "multiple attempts" to try to get around Meta's ad review process. Joy Timeline's app isn't the first app of its kind and previous apps that promise to make clothed photos into nudes have actually managed to bypass ad filters on major social media platforms — including Meta — in order to hawk their software. The company said that the "nudify" apps have devised various ways of skirting past the ad filter, including by using inoffensive imagery to try to fly under the radar. "We've worked with external experts and our own specialist teams to expand the list of safety-related terms, phrases and emojis that our systems are trained to detect with these ads," Meta said in a statement. Alexios Mantzarlis, the author of the Faked Up blog, told the BBC there had been "at least 10,000 ads" promoting nudify apps on Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms. "Even as [Meta] was making this announcement, I was able to find a dozen ads by CrushAI live on the platform and a hundred more from other 'nudifiers'," he told the broadcaster. "This abuse vector requires continued monitoring from researchers and the media to keep platforms accountable and curtail the reach of these noxious tools." The threat of the software is that anyone could feasibly take a photo and, without the photo subject's consent, turn it into a fake nude. Meta said that it bans "non-consensual intimate imagery" on its platforms, and previously told CBS News that it removes any ads on its platforms for "nudify" apps. On Thursday, Meta said it would work with the Tech Coalition's Lantern Program — aimed at tracking sites that break child safety rules — to share information with other tech companies about apps, sites, or companies that violate its policies.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Launches Lawsuit Against 'Nudify' AI Company Over Facebook, Instagram Ads
Meta on Thursday said it is taking legal action to a company using AI technology to create nonconsensual sexual images of people. Joy Timeline Limited, based in Hong Kong, has allegedly circumvented Meta's ad review process to advertise its "nudify" app CrushAI. A previous report from investigative tech outlet 404 Media estimated that 90% of CrushAI's traffic came from ads on Meta's services like Platforms (META) on Thursday announced a lawsuit against a Hong Kong-based company that has managed to work around the social media giant's advertising detection technology to promote AI-powered explicit apps. The Facebook and Instagram parent said it is suing Joy Timeline HK Limited, which owns a slate of apps called CrushAI, one of which allows users to take a picture of a person and use AI technology to make the image sexually explicit. The lawsuit was filed in Hong Kong, where Joy Timeline is based, Meta said. The company behind the so-called "nudify" app continued to circumvent Meta's ad review process after previous ads for the service had been removed from Meta's platforms, Meta said. Meta also said it was revamping its detection technology to catch more ads that may not feature explicit content like nudity in its ads but are still promoting a service that violates Meta's rules. The move comes after Meta received a letter from Illinois Senator Dick Durbin earlier this year, who asked Meta to answer for how it safeguards against these types of ads. The letter cited a report from the tech news outlet 404 Media, who found that an estimated 90% of traffic to CrushAI's apps were coming from ads it had placed on Meta's platforms. Joy Timeline did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The suit is the second against an AI company in as many days, coming a day after Disney (DIS) and Universal teamed up to sue AI image generation company Midjourney, alleging the company has made millions in revenue by violating the copyrights of their properties like "Star Wars" and Marvel Comics. Read the original article on Investopedia
