Meta Platforms on Thursday announced it has filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against Joy Timeline HK Limited, the company behind the AI-powered app CrushAI, which creates nonconsensual nude and sexually explicit images using AI technology. The lawsuit aims to stop the company from advertising these apps on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Meta targets AI ‘nudify’ apps promoting nonconsensual explicit content
CrushAI and its related apps use artificial intelligence to take photos of individuals and generate nude or sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. Meta claims Joy Timeline repeatedly bypassed its ad review process by creating multiple accounts and pages to run tens of thousands of ads promoting these apps despite prior removals.
According to court documents, the company ran over 87,000 ads violating Meta’s policies, forcing Meta to take legal action to prevent further abuse.
Meta stated, “This legal action underscores both the seriousness with which we take this abuse and our commitment to doing all we can to protect our community from it” and emphasised ongoing efforts to enhance detection technology to catch such ads even when they do not show explicit content directly. The company also highlighted that 90% of CrushAI’s traffic originated from ads on Meta’s platforms, showing how effectively these ads drove users to the app.
Meta’s broader fight against AI-driven abuse and regulatory pressure
This lawsuit follows growing concerns about AI misuse for creating explicit deepfake content without consent. Earlier in 2025, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging the company to address how it safeguards against such ads. Meta revealed it has spent nearly $290,000 responding to regulatory inquiries and investigating these violations.
Meta’s legal move against Joy Timeline comes amid broader industry efforts to hold AI companies accountable. A day before, Disney and Universal sued AI image generator Midjourney for copyright violations, showing increased scrutiny of AI applications. Meta’s lawsuit represents a firm stance against AI tools that facilitate harassment and exploitation on its platforms, signalling ongoing battles to curb harmful content in the digital age.
This case highlights tech giants’ challenges in policing AI-driven content and advertising, especially as bad actors evolve tactics to evade detection and enforcement. Meta’s aggressive legal response aims to disrupt the business model of apps like CrushAI, which profit from nonconsensual explicit imagery while protecting users and upholding platform policies.
