Meta Removed AI-Generated Child Exploitation Material From Ads After Delay

Meta Platforms removed ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from Facebook and Instagram after a significant delay. An investigation published Tuesday by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) reported that Meta failed to detect 332 ads containing CSAM this year.

The "vast majority" of these ads promoted AI applications made in China. Many advertised so-called "nudify" apps, which facilitate the digital alteration of children's images into sexually explicit material.

TTP matched "multiple CSAM ads to photos of real children that appeared online." Such material violates federal child pornography laws, as the U.S. Department of Justice has clarified that AI CSAM is as harmful as traditional CSAM.

The investigation found that an image of a young member of a European royal family was animated into a video depicting a "graphic sex act." Another ad altered an image of a 14-year-old Instagram influencer into a video of her performing oral sex. A third case involved images of a preteen girl that were morphed into a video showing her appearing frightened while being molested by an adult male.