Early last month, **Meta** removed approximately 50 ads from its platforms that contained CSAM, following initial reporting by **WIRED**. The company had stated that most of these abusive ads predated the rollout of new AI detection tools designed to 'better detect and block' such content. However, these AI systems appear to be largely ineffective. Researchers have since uncovered hundreds more disturbing ads featuring graphic sexual scenes involving children, including some identical to those **Meta** had previously removed. ### Escalating Problem: Hundreds More Abusive Ads Found **Tech Transparency Project (TTP)** researchers shared their findings with **WIRED**, revealing over 250 additional CSAM-containing ads that have run across **Meta's** platforms since the beginning of August. Unlike the initial 53 ads, many of these new discoveries included images of real children. One particularly egregious example involved the transformation of an officially released photograph of a minor belonging to a European royal family into a video depicting a 'graphic sex act.' The **TTP** has contacted officials in the respective country to protect the victim's identity. **Katie Paul**, director of the **TTP**, emphasized that the issue extends beyond AI-generated content. "What we're talking about here is not simply AI-generated child sex abuse material," Paul stated, noting that some images appear to have been sourced from the web. "There’s a lot of harm that can come from this all while **Meta** is raking in money in the process." ### Links to 'Nudification' Apps and Policy Failures Overall, **TTP** researchers have identified more than 350 abusive video ads published across **Meta's** network since late last year. Many of these ads linked to harmful 'nudification' apps, often developed by Chinese entities. Despite **Meta's** policies explicitly prohibiting child exploitation, adult exploitation, and nudity in ads, these advertisements were initially published. **TTP** researchers reported instances where it took **Meta** up to a week to review live CSAM ads, allowing them to accumulate hundreds more views in the interim. Further discrepancies were noted in **Meta's** removal process, with initial disclosures for some removed ads failing to explicitly state violations of child sexual abuse policies. These details reportedly only appeared after **WIRED** questioned **Meta** about the omission. ### The Modus Operandi of Abusive Ads These video ads, appearing on **Facebook**, **Instagram**, **Messenger**, **Threads**, and **Meta's** broader advertising network, follow a consistent pattern. They typically feature an innocuous picture of a preteen or teenage girl (with only one instance involving a boy) accompanied by text such as "not just a photo" and "there are no restriction [sic]." Upon playback, the children's faces are morphed into graphic sexual videos, often depicting sexual acts. Clicking these ads directs users to download AI-face swapping or video apps from **Apple** and **Google** app stores, often promoted with slogans like "This is the AI that men actually use." ### Real-World Victims and Widespread Reach **TTP** researchers successfully identified the real-world identities of four minors whose images were exploited, three of whom are from the U.S. These included social media influencers and a pre-teen stock photo model. All discovered ads were reported to the **National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline**. Data from **Meta's** ad library indicates that these ads were shown to over 29,000 accounts in the European Union and approximately 7,000 in the United Kingdom. The actual reach is likely much higher, with over 250 appearances in the U.S., 120 in Australia, and 80 in India, where granular ad performance data is not published by **Meta**. ### Meta's Response and Ongoing Investigations **Meta** spokesperson **Tracy Clayton** stated, "We don’t tolerate nudify apps or any kind of child exploitation, whether real or AI-generated." **Meta** claims to have removed hundreds of thousands of ads violating its nudification policies, asserting that many of the ads found by **TTP** had already been removed and generated less than $5,000 in ad payments. **Meta** also minimized the findings, suggesting that the AI-generated videos featured adults and that clips of minors were brief or blurred, making detection more difficult. "The criminals behind this activity know we’ve built strong defenses, including systems that block violating ads as well as ongoing monitoring in case we initially miss something," **Clayton** added. The **TTP's** discoveries coincide with **Meta** facing up to $16.7 billion in lawsuits concerning alleged harm to children from its social networks. **Meta** is also appealing a New Mexico court decision that would mandate improved CSAM reporting processes and human reviews. Lawmakers and regulators are now investigating the issue. Senator **Mark Warner** (Virginia) expressed disappointment, stating that **Meta** "needs to follow their own advertising standards, heed the call, and put an end to these illegal and inappropriate ads." Michigan and Florida Attorneys General are actively looking into the matter, and Australia's eSafety internet regulator has requested information from **Meta** at a senior level.