Network of 400 Apps Hid AI Nudify Tools From App Store Reviews

Nov 5, 2026
An investigation linked more than 400 apps and websites to an operation that concealed AI nudify tools during app store reviews and exposed them to selected users through remote servers.

A WIRED investigation published on November 2, 2026 linked more than 400 interconnected apps and websites to an operation distributing AI tools for creating sexual deepfakes. The apps appeared to offer ordinary AI features while concealing tools that generated fabricated sexual images of real people, TechRepublic reports.

According to WIRED, remote servers used details such as location, language settings and other identifiers to decide which interface an app displayed. In some cases, installing an app through an advertisement on Meta activated the hidden functions, while app store reviewers saw compliant features.

The investigation found shared code and infrastructure across the network, with links to Chinese developers and KeLing Technology Limited, a Hong Kong company that has reportedly cut ties with the apps. Apple said some developers changed app functions after approval by loading explicit material from external websites. Google said it had already removed the identified apps from Google Play before the report and suspended hundreds of additional apps for policy violations.

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