Meta ran dozens of paid ads containing explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to researchers at the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). The ads, which targeted users in the United States, United Kingdom, and over a dozen European countries, were discovered in Meta’s ad library and included images of minors alongside sexually suggestive statements. Some ads linked to so-called nudify or undressing apps, according to the findings.
The ads, which were removed by Meta for violating its policies on child sexual abuse and exploitation material, were published between November last year and August. Many of the ads, according to data in Meta’s ad transparency library, ran over several days and some only targeted men. One video ad used a thumbnail image of a child with text saying: “Realizing Deep Fantasies with Generation AI [sic]. There is so much more than what is shown, use your imagination.” When clicked, it played video clips of adults involved in sexual acts and then added the child’s face from the thumbnail to a sex act.
According to Meta’s policies, all ads are reviewed before publication, primarily using automated tools to check against its policies. The company’s advertising standards prohibit content depicting child sexual abuse, nudity, or sexual activity. The ads found by the TTP researchers were removed for violating these policies, with messages stating they violated rules on “child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity” and “adult nudity and sexual activity.”
Source: wired
