Meta ran advertisements on Facebook and Instagram in August 2026 for an AI tool called Kromix that encouraged users to create deepfake pornographic videos resembling female U.S. politicians, despite the company’s own policies prohibiting sexually explicit advertising content.
One video ad, viewed by WIRED, showed a woman closely resembling a prominent female U.S. politician standing before an American flag before cutting to a pornographic scene featuring the same face. A voice-over promoted the tool as having “no restrictions,” describing it as “the AI that men actually use” and stating that “all the characters are real people.” The ads were exclusively targeted to male users with the tagline “Unleash Next-gen AI Magic,” according to Meta’s ad library.
The account behind the campaign was created on August 3, shortly before the ads began running, and had no followers. In total, the account ran 32 ads, each running between five and 46 hours. Most received 10 or fewer impressions. Meta removed the ads after WIRED inquired about them. The Kromix app, which was listed on Apple’s App Store, invited paid users to upload photos for use in scenarios the app described as “bedroom rape” and “Disney love.” Apple removed the app following WIRED’s inquiry.
The ads were discovered by the Tech Transparency Project. Its director, Katie Paul, said the episode raises questions about how Meta will handle nudify content on its platforms, particularly when it involves female politicians. Benjamin Shultz of the American Sunlight Project noted that formerly routine images — official portraits, press conference footage — have become source material for deepfake tools accessible to anyone online.
Meta’s own advertising standards state that ads are reviewed against its policies using “primarily automated tools” before they go live. Apple has faced similar scrutiny: San Francisco’s city attorney sent the company a cease-and-desist letter earlier in the summer demanding the removal of 13 specific apps that violated its policies against nonconsensual intimate imagery.
Source: WIRED