Jakarta - The latest investigation has opened a serious gap in Apple's moderation system. A number of AI-based applications that are able to create deepfake pornographic content without the victim's consent have not only escaped the App Store, but also actively advertise and appear in user search results.
A report from the research organization Tech Transparency Project revealed that users simply type keywords such as "deepfake" to find applications that can be used to manipulate someone's face into explicit content. More worrying, some of these apps are even rated as safe for children.
This phenomenon strengthens criticism that Apple's App Review system fails to carry out its basic function as a guardian of the application ecosystem.
App Store's Big Gap
Experiments conducted by researchers show how easy it is for abuse to occur. One of the face swap apps allows users to upload explicit videos and replace faces with photos of other people - without any warnings, verification, or restrictions.
There are no notifications, no content filters, not even basic prevention mechanisms. In the context of law and ethics, this clearly falls into a gray area that potentially violates privacy and opens the door to digital exploitation.
The problem is not just technology, but distribution facilitated by large platforms.
Continuous Road Ads
What makes the situation even more absurd, these applications also appear in the App Store's paid ad slots. This means that developers not only pass the curation, but can also buy direct visibility to users.
Investigation data shows that about 31 "nudify" apps were found to be active, with a total download reaching hundreds of millions of times and a combined revenue of more than 120 million US dollars.
Indirectly, Apple also enjoys revenue from this ecosystem - a situation that could backfire amid increasing global regulatory pressure on digital platforms.
Not the First Case
Previously, Apple had removed dozens of similar applications and even warned AI companies such as xAI about the deepfake problem in their applications.
However, this latest finding shows that this step is not enough. Moderation seems to be reactive, not preventive.
In fact, deepfake technology is now evolving rapidly and becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from original content - making it a dangerous tool if it falls into the wrong hands.
This case comes at a time when governments in various countries are beginning to tighten rules on AI content, especially those related to sexual exploitation and individual privacy.
If Apple fails to fix its system, it is not impossible that regulatory intervention will be more aggressive - including the possibility of external supervision of the App Review process.
The problem of deepfakes is no longer a niche issue on internet forums. It has entered mainstream platforms, is available in one click, and - ironically - is promoted.
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