Report says YouTube and X send users to nudify deepfake sites

In short: A new report says YouTube and X are major pathways that lead people to “nudify” sites that create fake nude images of real people without consent.

What's going on

A study from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) looked at the top 10 apps and websites used to make nonconsensual sexually explicit “deepfakes” (fake images made with AI that can look real). These “nudify” tools digitally remove clothing from photos, like a harmful photo editing filter, but used on someone else.

ISD found that social networks drove more than 5.7 million visits to nudify sites between December 2025 and March 2026. YouTube was the biggest source, linked to 1.82 million visits, or more than 30 percent of the total. The report says people could find videos by searching terms like “undress app” or “nudify app,” and some videos reviewed these tools or shared promo codes for free credits.

X was the second biggest source, sending more than 1.3 million visits, according to the study. ISD says this appears to conflict with YouTube’s rules, which ban unwanted sexualization and also ban linking to or promoting sexually explicit websites.

YouTube told WIRED it has strict policies against nonconsensual intimate imagery, including realistic altered or synthetic nudity, and said the rules apply to both videos and external links. X did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

What to watch

The report also notes some nudify tools cost as little as $1 per image, and that they can be used for harassment, including trying to get someone fired. New laws are emerging, including a US requirement for platforms to remove reported nonconsensual intimate images within 48 hours, and a Minnesota ban on nudification apps. The key question is whether big platforms will enforce their own rules more consistently, so they stop acting like signposts pointing people to these sites.

Source: Wired