Meta ran ads with AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery

According to details shared with WIRED, Meta has run over 50 image and video ads containing explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over the past nine months. The ads, discovered by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), ran on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads, and targeted users in the US, UK, and over a dozen European countries. Some ads linked to nudify or undressing apps, and one video ad morphed a child's face into a sex act. TTP reported the ads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline. Meta removed the ads after WIRED reached out, citing policy violations. Many ads had minimal reach, but one reached 2,563 accounts in Europe. TTP found that some identical ads previously removed for policy violations were back, raising questions about Meta's enforcement. The ads were mostly posted by accounts with few followers, and where advertisers were disclosed, they were linked to Chinese companies, including Meet Social. Several ads linked to the MaskAI app on Apple's App Store, which contained AI-generated porn and face-swapping features; Apple removed it after WIRED contacted them. Meta says it removed over 36 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content last year and takes legal action against nudify app developers. Alexios Mantzarlis, cofounder of Indicator, has reported over 25,000 AI nudifier ads on Meta's platforms and criticizes timid enforcement.