Apple and Google face scrutiny over X deepfake content

Apple and Google are facing scrutiny over their handling of X on their app stores, as concerns grow about the misuse of generative AI tools to create deepfake images. Critics argue that content produced through X’s AI chatbot, Grok, raises serious questions about compliance with app store rules, particularly around harmful and abusive material.

It’s now a question whether Apple and Google are policing the rules consistently. Both companies ban content that is offensive or could enable the exploitation or abuse of children. Yet X remains on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Apple's rules require that no applications host any material that is considered objectionable, disturbing, or inappropriate. Google goes further to include in its policies that any application that creates or distributes child sexual abuse material has a justified reason for being removed from the store immediately.

Critics say the reported use of deepfake tools on X to generate explicit imagery highlights gaps in enforcement. They say platforms hosting such tools should be held accountable when safeguards fail or moderation proves insufficient.

Its continued availability in major app stores has prompted broader debate about the dynamics of power between large technology firms. Some onlookers speculate that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai consider policy enforcement against potential political and commercial risks.

Apple's reliance on global supply chains, including manufacturing in China, and Google's long-standing scrutiny over search and content moderation have framed the debate.