San Francisco Demands Meta Halt 350 AI Child Abuse Ads Within 28 Days
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 9
San Francisco Demands Meta Halt 350 AI Child Abuse Ads Within 28 Days
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 9
Summary
A four-page cease-and-desist letter from San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu orders Meta to stop paid ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse content and explain how they repeatedly passed moderation.
More than 350 ads identified by the Tech Transparency Project turned still images of minors into sexualized clips promoting AI “nudify” apps; over 250 ran after WIRED first reported a batch in early August.
The ads reached more than 29,000 EU accounts and also targeted users in the US, Australia and India; TTP said some reports went unanswered for more than a week while ads kept gaining views.
Meta said all identified ads have now been removed, most logged fewer than 200 impressions, and total spend was under $5,000, while arguing the matter falls outside San Francisco's jurisdiction.
Chiu's letter says the pattern points to systemic failures in Meta's ad-review and child-safety systems, seeking details on NCMEC reporting, repeat offenders and legal compliance as new ads still appeared Wednesday.