Latest news with #CrushAI
HKFP
a day ago
- Business
- HKFP
Meta sues Hong Kong-based company behind AI deepfake app that creates fake nude images
US social media giant Meta has sued the Hong Kong-based company behind an app that uses artificial intelligence to create fake nude images of people without their consent, seeking to stop the firm from advertising the app on Meta platforms. Meta said last Thursday that it had filed the complaint against Joy Timeline HK Limited, the maker of the CrushAI app, amid what it called a 'concerning growth of so-called 'nudify' apps online.' Joy Timeline HK Limited allegedly violated Meta's rules by running CrushAI ads with at least 170 business accounts it created on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, CNN said citing the complaint filed to the District Court. Some of the ads included AI-generated nude or sexually explicit images with captions such as 'upload a photo to strip for a minute' and 'erase any clothes on girls,' according to CNN. Now, the tech giant is seeking an injunction to restrain the Hong Kong firm 'from creating, sharing, publishing, disseminating or contributing to the publication' of such advertisements on its platforms, media outlets reported. The order would target any content relating to apps designed to generate AI or deepfake images containing nudity or NCII [non-consensual intimate image sharing] elements. The tech giant is also seeking to claim back the US$289,200 (HK$2.28 million) it said it spent to take down, monitor, and investigate the ads that the Hong Kong company had allegedly bought since September 2023, The Witness reported. Meta said in a statement last week that its lawsuit 'follows multiple attempts by Joy Timeline HK Limited to circumvent Meta's ad review process and continue placing these ads, after they were repeatedly removed for breaking our rules.' '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,' it said. Per its policies, Meta removes ads and Facebook and Instagram pages promoting so-called 'nudify' apps, blocks links on its platforms, and restricts related search terms so that AI-generated non-consensual sexually explicit images are not circulated, it added in its statement. Meta said its lawsuit is part of broader action against these apps. 'We're building new technology to detect ads for nudify apps and sharing signals about these apps with other tech companies so they can take action too,' it said. LATEST FROM HKFP 3 Hong Kong universities move up in QS top 50 rankings, with HKU jumping to 11th place Beijing official praises Hong Kong leader for 'positive progress' in boosting economy, improving people's livelihoods Blanket measure to halt imported labour schemes when unemployment hits 'red line' is 'inappropriate,' minister says Hong Kong doctor to be sentenced in July for issuing over 6,600 false Covid-19 vaccine exemptions
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Meta's suing an AI app you've probably seen – and wish you hadn't
Meta is now suing the maker of one of the AI "nudify" apps, which, with the growth of generative AI, are now plaguing the internet. The tech giant has filed a lawsuit against Joy Timeline HK Limited, which has developed an app called Crush AI. In the lawsuit, filed in Hong Kong, Meta claims that Crush AI has made several attempts to circumvent Meta's ad review process and is allegedly continuing to place the ads. These ads appeared across Facebook and Instagram. However, Meta removed them (and kept doing so) for breaking the rules, but allegedly, the company (Joy Timeline) continued posting "nudify"-type AI apps basically generate explicit images of people after receiving photos of said individual. Crush AI is one of the apps of the sort that heavily advertises. Back in January, an investigation by Alexios Mantzarlis, author of the Faked UP newsletter, discovered that Meta's social media platforms had more than 8,000 Cursh AI-related ads during the first two weeks of the year alone! Mantzarlis also noted that around 90% of Crush AI's website traffic came from Facebook and Instagram. The company allegedly created dozens of advertiser accounts to bypass Meta's rules, and even frequently changed domain names, reportedly. Back in February, Senator Dick Durbin sent a letter to Zuckerberg, urging him to address the ads and highlighting that those are violating Meta's Advertising Standards by including nudity, sexual activity, and even harassment. Apparently, Meta now has new tech designed to find and remove these types of ads quickly, and it has also expanded the list of terms, phrases, and even emojis that are flagged by its is also working with teams of specialists just to stay up to date with how these app makers avoid detection and evolve their strategies of bypassing the rules. Meta also says it will be sharing signals with other social media platforms so these apps can be addressed there as well. In my opinion, Meta's lawsuit against the maker of Crush AI is an important and overdue step. Apps like this raise serious concerns about privacy, consent, and digital safety. It's alarming that thousands of ads promoting such technology were able to run on major platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Even though Meta repeatedly removed them, the app's developers allegedly found ways to keep posting. This shows how easily harmful content can slip through, despite existing policies.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta sues Chinese deepfake app which uses AI to remove clothes from photos, turning them into nudes
Meta has filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against Joy Timeline HK Limited , the Chinese company behind the AI-powered app "CrushAI," which generates deepfake nude images from photos of clothed individuals. The legal action, reported by CBS News, seeks to ban the company from advertising its services on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit is said to highlight Facebook and Instagram parent Meta's efforts to combat non-consensual intimate imagery , a growing concern in the age of advanced AI technologies. According to court documents, Joy Timeline made "multiple attempts" to bypass Meta's ad review process by using deceptive tactics, such as inoffensive imagery, to promote its app. Meta stated, "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." Dangerous apps with alarming consequences CrushAI is not the first app of its kind. Similar "nudify" apps have previously evaded ad filters on major social media platforms, including Meta's, by exploiting loopholes in content moderation systems. In response, Meta has collaborated with external experts and internal teams to enhance its detection capabilities, expanding the list of safety-related terms, phrases, and emojis its systems are trained to flag. The implications of such software are alarming, as it enables anyone to create fake nude images without the subject's consent, posing significant privacy and ethical concerns. Meta has a strict policy against non-consensual intimate imagery and has consistently removed ads for "nudify" apps from its platforms, as previously confirmed to CBS News. Recently, Meta announced a new partnership with the Tech Coalition's Lantern Program, an initiative focused on tracking websites and services that violate child safety regulations. Through this collaboration, Meta will share information with other tech companies about apps, sites, or entities that breach its policies, aiming to curb the spread of harmful AI-driven content industry-wide. "We'll continue to take necessary steps — which could include legal action — against those who abuse our platforms like this," Meta reaffirmed in a statement. The case underscores the broader challenge facing tech giants as they grapple with regulating AI technologies that can be weaponized to exploit and harm users. As of now, Joy Timeline HK Limited has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. The outcome of this legal battle could set a precedent for how platforms address similar AI-driven abuses in the future.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Meta takes AI firm behind ‘nudify' apps to court over ads on Facebook, Instagram
Meta has said it has filed a lawsuit against a Hong Kong-based company behind 'nudify' apps, as part of its broader crackdown on AI tools that let users generate fake sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. The tech giant announced it has sued CrushAI app developer Joy Timeline HK Limited to prevent the company from advertising its products on Meta's platforms. 'This follows multiple attempts by Joy Timeline HK Limited to circumvent Meta's ad review process and continue placing these ads, after they were repeatedly removed for breaking our rules,' Meta said in a blog post published last week. The Facebook parent also said it has developed a new AI system capable of finding, detecting, and taking down ads for nudify apps and websites on its platforms more quickly. '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 within these ads,' it said. 'We've also applied the tactics we use to disrupt networks of coordinated inauthentic activity to find and remove networks of accounts operating these ads,' Meta added. The move comes amid a surge in AI-powered 'nudify' apps on the internet. These apps use generative AI to turn full-clothed images into realistic nude images of victims. Reports have previously suggested that students learn about these nudify apps or websites through ads on Instagram and other social media platforms. In addition, Meta's announcement comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed the landmark Take It Down Act into law. The new legislation makes it illegal to to share explicit images of individuals without their consent. Revenge porn as well as fake AI-generated sexual images are also covered under the scope of the new act. Meta said that over the past six months, its 'expert teams' have taken down four separate networks of accounts that sought to run ads promoting nudify apps on its platforms. It also revealed that the bad actors behind these apps would evolve their tactics to avoid detection. 'For example, some use benign imagery in their ads to avoid being caught by our nudity detection technology, while others quickly create new domain names to replace the websites we block,' Meta said. The company further re-emphasised that its updated policies do not allow the promotion of nudify apps or similar services on its platforms. It also restricts search terms such as 'nudify', 'undress', and 'delete clothing' on Facebook and Instagram so they don't show results. Meta said it will start sharing information like URLs in order to enable other platforms to remove nudify-related content as well. So far, it has provided more than 3,800 URLs to tech companies that are part of the Tech Coalition's Lantern programme. This is in addition to the signals about violating child safety activity, including sextortion, that are already shared by Meta. The company finally said it will continue to support legislation that requires app stores like Google Play Store and Apple App Store to verify a user's age and, if the user is underage, obtain parental consent before downloading the app. Such legislation has intensified the clash between app store operators (like Google and Apple) and major social media platforms (such as Meta, X, and Snap) over who is responsible for the online safety of young users. Both Utah and Texas have adopted similar legislation that puts the burden of responsibility on app stores.
Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
New Facebook lawsuit addresses huge privacy issue
Consumers have long been concerned about privacy issues with Facebook, with controversies dating back as far as 2006, when many site users were initially displeased about their content being rebroadcast on their friends' pages as part of the company's newly introduced news feed. Since then, a series of issues emerged related to the unauthorized sharing of information with advertisers, apps, or on Facebook feeds; unauthorized experimentation on Facebook users; and concerns about the company tracking Facebook users across the Internet. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Meta (Facebook's owner and operator) has been sued for some of these issues, and the Federal Trade Commission has also taken action against the company. But this time, Meta is actually on the other side of a lawsuit. Specifically, it has filed a suit in Hong Kong against a company called Joy Timeline HK Limited. Meta's lawsuit has high stakes because the software programs that Joy Timeline HK Limited creates and promotes may infringe upon your privacy in very serious ways that most people would hate. Meta is suing Joy Timeline HK Limited because the Hong Kong company won't stop trying to get around Facebook's rules. Joy Timeline created an app called CrushAI, which is a "nudify" app. Essentially, the app includes an AI tool that allows users to upload pictures and "see anyone naked" by using artificial intelligence to generate nude images. Meta bans "non-consensual intimate imagery" on its platform and has removed ads for nudify technology in the past. It has also permanently blocked any websites associated with apps that provide this nudify functionality, and has deleted pages on its platform that run advertising for Joy Timeline HK Limited and the makers of similar apps. Related: Meta commits absurd money to top Google, Microsoft in critical race However, despite banning the app-maker from advertising on Facebook, Meta alleges that Joy Timeline has made "multiple attempts" to circumvent the company's ad review process and get the advertisements back up, despite clearly violating Meta's policies. According to Meta, Joy Timeline has employed a number of different techniques to try to avoid detection when placing content on Facebook, including using inoffensive imagery so that the ads can bypass technology that identifies and blocks ads, in violation of Facebook's terms of service. More on Meta: Meta (Facebook) shocks retail world with unexpected newsMeta quietly plans rude awakening for employees after layoffsSurprising earnings send Meta Platforms stock soaring Meta has been working to develop better tools to delete ads from prohibited companies like this one when those ads appear benign, stating, "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." Still, since Joy Timeline has managed to evade efforts to keep its ads off Facebook's platform, Meta now wants a court order to stop the company from persisting in trying to reach Facebook users. Meta is also doing more than just suing. The company indicated it is planning to share information about the nudify apps, including ad URLs, with other technology companies through Lantern, which is a cross-platform signal-sharing program aimed at promoting child safety. Related: ChatGPT's Sam Altman sends strong 2-word message on the future Still, Meta believes the lawsuit is crucial to helping protect Facebook users and has made clear that it is pursuing legal action because these issues are a key priority. "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," a Meta statement reads. "We'll continue to take necessary steps - which could include legal action - against those who abuse our platforms like this." The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
