The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against 16 of the most frequently visited AI-powered “undressing” websites, which are notorious for creating non-consensual nude images of women and girls. These websites, which have collectively attracted over 200 million visits in the first half of 2024 alone, use artificial intelligence tools to digitally “undress” images of real people, often without their knowledge or consent.

Announced by City Attorney David Chiu at a press conference, the lawsuit marks a landmark effort to combat the growing issue of deepfake pornography. The websites targeted by the lawsuit allow users to upload images of fully clothed individuals, which are then manipulated by AI to create realistic nude images.

One of these sites, not specifically named in the complaint, brazenly advertises, “Imagine wasting time taking her out on dates, when you can just use [the website] to get her nudes.”

The operators of these websites stand accused of violating both state and federal laws prohibiting revenge pornography, deepfake pornography, and child pornography. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that these websites breach California’s unfair competition law, arguing that the harm inflicted on consumers far outweighs any purported benefits of the services they offer. The lawsuit seeks not only civil penalties but also aims to shut down the websites and permanently bar their operators from creating or distributing deepfake pornography in the future.

The case arrives amid increasing concerns about the rise of non-consensual nude images, fueled by advancements in generative AI technology. This technology has led to a surge in “sextortion” cases, where victims are blackmailed with fabricated explicit images. High-profile individuals, including celebrities like Taylor Swift, have fallen victim to such deepfakes, and the problem has infiltrated schools, with students being expelled or arrested for sharing AI-generated nudes of their peers.

“This investigation has taken us to the darkest corners of the internet, and I am absolutely horrified for the women and girls who have had to endure this exploitation,” City Attorney Chiu said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). “This is a big, multi-faceted problem that we, as a society, need to solve as soon as possible.”