It’s Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and if you’ve been following the tech beat, you’ll know that the “walled gardens” of Apple and Google are looking a bit overgrown with some pretty toxic weeds. A massive new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) just dropped, and it’s a gut punch for anyone who believes “app review” is a foolproof safety net.
The thing is, while Apple and Google take a 30% cut of your subscriptions, they’ve also been taking a cut of apps designed to digitally undress women. Or nothing.
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The “Nudify” Economy: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where AI is moving faster than the people supposed to police it. Here’s the ground reality from the TTP investigation:
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The Numbers are Staggering: We’re talking about 55 apps on Google Play and 47 on Apple’s App Store. These aren’t obscure, dark-web tools; they were sitting right there in the search results for terms like “nudify” or “undress.” Those too.
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Profiting from Abuse: These apps have racked up over 705 million downloads and generated $117 million in revenue. Since Apple and Google take their usual platform fee, they’ve essentially made tens of millions of dollars from tools used for non-consensual sexual imagery. Let’s be real—that’s a PR nightmare.
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The Children Question: And here’s the kicker—some of these apps were rated as suitable for kids as young as four or nine. An app called DreamFace was cleared for 9+ on Apple. The thing is, the “review process” clearly missed the fact that these apps can turn a fully clothed photo into a nude one in seconds.
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The Response: Since the report went live yesterday (Jan 27), Apple has scrubbed about 28 apps, and Google pulled 31. But and here’s the kicker—TTP says dozens more are still popping up under different names. It’s a game of digital whack-a-mole.
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App Store Safety Breach (Jan 2026)
| Metric | Apple App Store | Google Play Store |
| Identified “Nudify” Apps | 47 | 55 |
| Confirmed Removals (to date) | 28 | 31 |
| Collective Revenue | ~$117 Million (Combined) | ~$117 Million (Combined) |
| Age Ratings Found | As low as 4+ / 9+ | As low as 13+ |
And Here’s the Kicker…
This isn’t just about small-time developers. The report also highlights that Elon Musk’s Grok was the top organic search result for “nudify” on the App Store recently. While xAI has since added “geoblocking” and restricted some features, the thing is, the infrastructure for this “mass digital undressing spree” is already baked into the platforms we use every day. Those too.
One side comment—the EU AI Act is set to become fully applicable in August 2026, which will strictly prohibit these kinds of “unacceptable” AI practices. It’s an ongoing situation where the tech giants are scrambling to clean house before the heavy fines start flying. Or nothing.
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End…
