Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Aug 19
Meta Removes 32 Kromix Ads After Deepfake Porn Campaign Targeted Male Users
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Aug 19

Meta Removes 32 Kromix Ads After Deepfake Porn Campaign Targeted Male Users

3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Aug 19

Summary

  • 32 ads for Kromix were taken down from Meta platforms after WIRED asked about a campaign promoting AI-generated porn videos resembling female US politicians.
  • The ads pitched the app as having “no restrictions,” showed a politician lookalike turning into a pornographic scene, and were targeted exclusively at male users, according to Meta’s ad library.
  • Kromix let paying users upload photos for scenarios including “bedroom rape,” while Apple had hosted the app before removing it following media scrutiny.
  • Most ads drew 10 or fewer impressions and ran for five to 46 hours, but the episode adds to repeated failures by Meta and Apple to block tools tied to nonconsensual intimate imagery.

Insights

How did an AI app promoting malicious deepfakes bypass billion-dollar tech moderation systems using simple pictures of waterfalls?
Will emerging federal laws finally hold major platforms financially accountable for hosting ads that weaponize AI against women?
As deepfake creators outpace detection algorithms, are we permanently losing the battle to protect digital identities from AI exploitation?