A recent report has raised serious concerns about how effectively tech giants like Apple and Google are enforcing their own app store policies. Despite clear guidelines that prohibit harmful and non-consensual explicit content, several apps capable of generating obscene or manipulated images are still reportedly available on their platforms.

The findings come from the Tech Transparency Project, a research wing of the Campaign for Accountability. According to the report, multiple apps on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store allow users to alter images—sometimes of celebrities or private individuals—to create nude or semi-nude visuals without consent. Even more concerning, similar apps are allegedly being promoted through in-app search suggestions and advertisements.

Data cited from market research firm AppMagic suggests the scale of the issue is massive. The identified apps have reportedly been downloaded over 483 million times and generated around $122 million in revenue. While some apps were removed after earlier scrutiny, researchers claim that similar or rebranded versions quickly returned to the platforms.

Globally, there has been growing pressure from policymakers to regulate such content more strictly, especially given the risks of misuse, privacy violations, and digital harassment. Earlier actions by these companies to remove flagged apps were seen as a step forward, but the reappearance of similar tools raises questions about the effectiveness of their review systems.

The report also highlights that users can easily discover these apps through search auto-complete features, suggesting that the problem is not just about approval but also about discoverability. In total, researchers identified dozens of such apps still active across both ecosystems.

This situation underscores a larger issue in the tech world: while policies may exist on paper, enforcing them consistently at scale remains a significant challenge.