Upon initial inspection, Viefur, an app that markets itself as a “pet portrait” creator, may seem like any ordinary AI art generator. Users can purchase digital coins within the app—approximately $4 is equivalent to 130 coins—which can be used to convert pet photos into whimsical “anthropomorphic portraits.” These images feature animals donned in “human attire” placed in surreal scenarios. Picture a hamster sporting beach shorts and sunglasses, enjoying a poolside setting, or a cat in a Hawaiian shirt sipping from a coconut.
However, this playful facade masks a far more sinister function: the creation of sexually abusive deepfake visuals.
A recent investigation by WIRED unearthed that Viefur is part of a broader network encompassing over 400 interconnected domains and applications. Many of these apps masquerade as ordinary services, including language learning or AI fitness coaching. When accessed under certain circumstances, these applications covertly reveal a web interface enabling the generation of explicit AI erotic images and videos based on user-uploaded photos. This disturbing content includes graphic scenarios like “bedroom rape” and “threatening knife,” depicting violent and non-consensual acts.
Researchers discovered this alarming network while examining connections from countless video advertisements featuring explicit deepfake material posted on Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Recent reports from WIRED highlighted that a significant number of these ads promoted AI-generated child sexual abuse content, including images involving real children and even a member of a European royal family. The troubling ads reached a vast audience and have triggered investigations by regulators across various countries.
In each instance, the ads directed users to misleading applications available on the Apple and Google app stores, where they could create explicit images and process payments via Apple and Google Pay. This clandestine network responsible for these harmful apps has seemingly been active for about a year, sometimes releasing multiple apps in a single week. This persistent issue arises despite assurances from Google, Apple, and Meta concerning their enforcement of policies against harmful deepfake content on their platforms.
