San Francisco’s city attorney, David Chiu, has issued a stern warning to Meta, demanding the company halt the display of AI-generated child sexual abuse content in advertisements. Over 350 such ads, discovered by the Tech Transparency Project, depicted real minors, including members of a European royal family, in explicit acts. These ads, when clicked, directed users to download apps that could create non-consensual intimate images, raising serious ethical and legal concerns.

Chiu argues that Meta’s failure to address this known issue, while profiting from it, is unacceptable. The ads, which reached over 29,000 accounts in the EU, targeted users across the US, Australia, and India, highlighting the global reach of the problem. Meta’s initial response, that no ads were displayed in San Francisco, was challenged by the city attorney, who pointed out that San Francisco residents could access these ads through Meta's online platforms.

Chiu’s letter demands Meta stop the ads immediately and explain how they circumvented the company’s moderation systems. It also questions how Meta escalates and reports ads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and how it addresses the advertisers behind the content and repeat offenders. This case, Chiu believes, points to broader systemic issues in how Meta detects and responds to potential child sexual abuse in advertising.

Meanwhile, Meta maintains that most of the identified ads had already been removed, with a total spend of under $5,000. However, the scale, persistence, and nature of the issue suggest that Meta’s current measures are insufficient. Chiu’s demands underscore the urgent need for more robust safeguards against such harmful content.