A new report finds that popular social networks are fueling traffic to AI-powered nudify apps, despite strict content policies. The study reveals how users are easily accessing nonconsensual deepfake tools through YouTube and X.
Despite strict guidelines against nonconsensual intimate images, major social media platforms are sending millions of users to nudify apps that generate explicit deepfakes, according to a new report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). The study, released Monday, examined the top 10 apps and websites used to create nonconsensual explicit images and tracked how users discover these tools.
The ISD found that between December 2025 and March 2026, social networks drove over 5.7 million visits to nudify sites. YouTube emerged as the leading source, responsible for 1.82 million referrals-more than 30% of the total. Many of these visits stemmed from videos reviewing, promoting, or linking to nudify apps, often including promo codes for free credits. X was the second-largest driver, accounting for more than 1.3 million visits during the same period.
The report’s authors noted that this traffic flow appears to directly contradict YouTube’s stated policies, which ban sexually explicit content and prohibit links to such sites. “This should logically include nudify websites or tools that generate nonconsensual explicit imagery,” the report states. Yet, ISD researchers found that violating content was easily accessible on YouTube, effectively making it a gateway to these sites. Melanie Smith, ISD’s senior director of research and policy, told WIRED that YouTube was not just a passive source but often facilitated the use of these tools.
YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle responded that the company enforces strict policies against unwanted sexualization, including nonconsensually shared intimate imagery and synthetic content that simulates nudity. These rules, he said, apply to both on-platform content and external links. However, the ISD report suggests enforcement is inconsistent, especially regarding nonconsensual imagery and revenge porn.
The study also examined the business side of nudification tools. Some apps allow users to generate explicit images for as little as $1 per image, making the technology widely accessible. Despite the low cost, these platforms are highly profitable; a recent WIRED investigation estimated annual revenues could reach $36 million. Common targets include current and former partners, as well as relatives, with some users motivated by a desire to harm reputations or livelihoods rather than for sexual reasons.
In January 2026, X faced backlash after users exploited its AI chatbot Grok to create nude or sexually suggestive images of women, including minors, without consent. The controversy led X to restrict Grok access to paid users and issue a statement reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy for child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity. X did not respond to requests for comment.
Nonconsensual intimate imagery is illegal in the United States. The federal Take It Down Act, fully effective since May, requires platforms to remove such images within 48 hours of a victim’s takedown request. Most states have enacted anti-deepfake laws, and in May 2026, Minnesota became the first state to specifically ban nudification apps. Despite these measures, the ISD report warns that nudify apps are spreading and becoming easier to use. The authors call for coordinated responses, including stronger platform regulation and digital literacy education. With deepfake incidents reported in over 90 schools worldwide, the problem shows no sign of slowing.
YouTube, owned by Google, is the world’s largest video-sharing platform, with more than 2.7 billion monthly logged-in users as of 2026. The company reported over $31 billion in ad revenue in 2025, making it a central player in global digital media. YouTube’s content policies and enforcement practices have faced increasing scrutiny as AI-generated content and deepfakes become more prevalent on the platform.
