“Nudify” websites used Google, Apple and Discord login systems

According to a recent WIRED investigation, 16 malicious “nudify” websites have used Google, X, Discord, Patreon, and Line’s registration tool to welcome new users.

All companies mentioned in the report (except X) have come forward to address the issue and have assured that appropriate action will be taken.

The names of the malicious sites have not been released and their owners have not yet been identified.

However, one owner came forward on their own initiative and said they were willing to work with authorities to make their services more transparent, secure and reliable.

Malicious “nudify” websites that use AI to undress a victim’s photo without their consent are leveraging the login infrastructure of Apple, Google, X, Discord, Patreon, and Line.

16 such websites were found in an analysis conducted by WIRED. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Google’s submission system is used by 16 websites

Discord is in second place with 13 websites

Apple will be launching 6 websites next

X’s login infrastructure was found on 3 websites

Both Patreon and Line are at the bottom with 2 websites

WIRED chose not to reveal the names of the websites so it wouldn’t draw any more attention than it already has. However, it did note that These websites are part of a broader network and many of them are owned by the same company/person.

Speaking of the importance of a popular registration tool on such sites, they make it easier for users to create an account there.

For example, users can simply use their existing account on Google, Apple, etc. to sign up for the service. It also makes these sites appear safe and legitimate, further boosting signup rates.

What do companies say about this?

Google and Apple have promised to take action against developers who violate their terms of service.

Then, just hours after promising to remove such illegal accounts, Discord Vice President of Trust and Safety Jud Hoffman confirmed that the website’s access to the API had been revoked.

Remark:One of the websites whose access was removed informed its users via its Telegram channel that authorization via Discord was “temporarily unavailable” and that efforts were being made to regain access.

Patreon said it already bans accounts that use its tools to create/distribute explicit images, so it will certainly investigate. Line said the same, but added that it can’t comment on specific sites until its investigation is complete.

The only one of the five who didn’t respond is X. It’s also worth noting that the tech giants mentioned above aren’t the only ones under fire. Many of these sites have VISA and Mastercard as a payment option, so WIRED reached out to them for comment as well.

VISA has not commented, but Mastercard has stated that purchasing illegal sexual expressions is not allowed on their network and that they take action when they detect such a transaction.

Lawsuit against the websites

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has filed a lawsuit against these websites.

“These websites are engaged in horrific exploitation of women and girls around the world. These images are used to harass, humiliate and threaten women and girls,” he added.

No individual has been identified because the owners mostly run the show in secret. The Telegram channels they manage have thousands of members, and the websites they run have nearly identical structures and policies—and each offers a dozen languages. It’s undoubtedly difficult to drill down into the owners’ details.

Only one person, identifying himself as Alexander August and claiming to be the CEO of one of the websites, stepped forward to respond to WIRED via email. They said they understand the concerns about the websites being abused, but that they have security features in place to protect minors.

They added that they also be willing to cooperate with authorities and be accountable for their actions to make their services more transparent, reliable and secure.

Whatever the plan, authorities must hurry because the The popularity of these websites is growing at an alarming rateIn the first 6 months of the year alone, the sites received 200 million visitors.

Moreover, they are continuously developing and coming up with new featuresFor example, there is a feature that lets you customize women’s bodies and another feature that lets you upload images directly from Instagram.

Deepfakes aren’t a new problem, but with the advent of AI, the problem has grown catastrophically. And even if these tech companies take action and remove websites’ access to their login API, will that be enough to solve the problem?

Related: Grok-2 and Grok-2 Mini create scandalous deepfakes

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