Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram have served thousands of ads for AI “nudify” apps in breach of the company’s policies, delivered by one of its few advertising partners in China, according to the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP). The ads promoted mobile apps that can transpose women’s faces onto naked bodies and create sexualised videos, raising serious concerns about non-consensual intimate imagery and child safety.
The Report’s Findings
Beijing-based GatherOne Inc., which connects Chinese firms seeking to advertise on Meta’s social media services with the US company, has been responsible in recent months for some 7,600 ads for nudify apps, TTP said in a new report. The report singled out an app, created in China, that allows for the sharing of material some users have flagged as child pornography. Meta’s rules prohibit sexually suggestive ads or those for apps that purport to strip the persons depicted. But TTP’s work, which aims to hold Big Tech companies to account, shows repeated failures from the likes of Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. to curb such apps. Regulators, victims and their families around the world have been calling on tech firms to do more to combat so-called deepfake porn services.
“Meta appears to be giving a free pass to one of its top Chinese advertising partners when it comes to nudify ads,” said Katie Paul, TTP’s director.
Meta’s Response and Policy Enforcement
While Instagram and Facebook aren’t available in China, they remain attractive promotional tools for China-based businesses seeking a global audience. Paul said her agency’s findings contradict Meta’s statements about prohibiting ads for deepfake-nude apps and suggest the company prioritises ad revenue over concern for its users.
“We do not allow non-consensual intimate imagery or nudify apps on our platform and we take aggressive steps to combat them,” said Cindy Southworth, Meta’s Head of Women’s Safety Policy. “All advertisers have to comply with our advertising standards, and failure to comply with our policies and standards can lead to the cancellation of ads placed, financial penalties and termination of ad accounts,” a Meta spokesperson added.
GatherOne said it complies with Meta’s advertising policies and all applicable international legal frameworks. The company maintains a zero-tolerance policy against deceptive practices, adult content, non-consensual explicit AI-generated material, child exploitation and fraud, it said. Its website says it works with clients in gaming, e-commerce, entertainment and finance, helping them place ads across the networks of Meta, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. In response to queries from Bloomberg News, GatherOne said it is suspending the creation of new advertising accounts for services related to AI nudifying and face-swap services and is undertaking a comprehensive compliance upgrade to address the technical evolution of synthetic media.
Revenue and the China Factor
The report provides a rare look at how Meta derives revenue from a country of 1.4 billion people where its services are blocked. Companies in China selling products and services outside the country use intermediaries like GatherOne to buy access and exposure to international users. Meta said it made $18.4 billion in China sales for the year ended 2024, which amounted to 11 per cent of its global revenue. That was more than double the sales it made there in 2022. Meta has not broken out its China revenues since.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ads for nudify apps placed by GatherOne | ~7,600 | Tech Transparency Project |
| Meta's China revenue (year ended 2024) | $18.4 billion | Meta |
| China revenue as % of global | 11% | Meta |
| China revenue growth (2022 to 2024) | More than double | Meta |
Broader Context and Whistleblower Testimony
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive turned whistleblower, testified before Congress last year that the company has over the years offered censorship tools to China and helped the country advance in the artificial intelligence arms race with the US. She said China remains a key market for the company, as demonstrated by its ongoing China revenues. Wynn-Williams’s 2025 memoir Careless People details her time as director of public policy at the company. Meta did not respond to a query about her testimony. TTP is a research arm of the Washington, DC-based nonpartisan corporate and government watchdog Campaign for Accountability.
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