A watchdog group says that Meta platforms ran thousands of advertisements for apps that digitally undress women. The network placing these ads traces back to a single advertising partner based in China. The discovery shows that tech platforms are still struggling to stop the spread of fake, sexually explicit content, even as they promise users a safe online space free from this type of abuse.
Investigators trace thousands of illicit app ads to one company
The Tech Transparency Project found that a company called GatherOne placed roughly 30,800 ads for face-swapping and artificial intelligence tools across Facebook. The nonprofit group discovered that at least 7,600 of these ads were specifically for apps built to produce fake, nonconsensual naked images of women.
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GatherOne acts as a middleman that connects Chinese businesses looking to reach international users with big American tech platforms. One of the apps promoted by this network even included a section where users shared illegal videos. When reporters asked about the findings, GatherOne stated that it is now suspending new advertising accounts for these types of tools and reviewing its internal rules.
The new report challenges promises to stop fake explicit content
Meta has spent more than a year stating it takes aggressive action against these deepfake apps. The company previously sued other developers and shared data with rival tech firms to stop these ads from spreading. However, the sheer volume of ads passing through this specific ad network suggests that automated review systems are not catching bad actors who use fake names to hide their tracks.
The report lands right as platforms face stricter laws around digital consent. New rules in the United States require social media sites like Instagram to remove fake intimate images within 48 hours of a valid request. If ad networks keep finding ways to bypass automated safety checks, tech companies will face much larger legal and financial risks in the near future.
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