Apple Updates App Store Rules to Block Nudified and Explicit Images

Apple has updated its moderation policy for the App Store, according to Engadget. The update aims to make sure people cannot use apps, including AI-based apps, to nudify images or turn normal images into sexually explicit content.

Apple has long banned pornographic materials from the App Store. Apps that are specifically made to generate sexually explicit images have also not been allowed for a long time. The new update builds on these rules.

Developers whose apps host user-generated content now have new duties. They must filter nonconsensual intimate imagery, which includes images made with AI tools. They must also prevent users from uploading these images and remove any such images that pass their filters.

Developers must give users two tools to stay safe. Users need a way to report offensive content and a way to block abusive accounts.

Apple has also clarified its rules for apps that use bait-and-switch tactics, which means apps that promise one purpose but do something else. If Apple finds that an app misrepresented its purpose during review and has nudification capabilities, it will remove the app from the store. If that happens, Apple will also remove the app's creator from the Apple Developer Program.

Developers that do not put adequate safeguards in place, or that fail to fix a violation after being notified, risk being removed from the store.