Europe strips away AI nude-faking apps for good

The European Parliament has greenlit changes to the AI Act that ban so-called nudifier apps in the European Union.

Earlier this month, the Council of the European Union came up with a set of proposals to simplify and harmonize the existing rules on AI, cybersecurity, and data protection in the European Union.

These proposals, also known as the Digital Omnibus, included streamlining the EU’s legislative framework and implementing rules on AI set out in the AI Act.

“Streamlining the AI rules is essential for ensuring the EU’s digital sovereignty. As presidency, we worked on this proposal with urgency, reaching a swift agreement to facilitate the timely application of the AI Act,” Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, said in a statement.

One of the recommendations was to add a new provision to the AI Act “prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material.”

In other words, to ban all apps that undress people in the EU.

On Thursday, a majority of the European Parliament agreed to ban nudifier apps. A total of 569 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the proposal, 45 votes were against, and 23 members abstained.

“I’m glad that it was possible to achieve a compromise acceptable to the majority of the Parliament and at least the centrist parties. And that compromise included a proposal to ban so-called nudification apps, which I believe is something that our citizens expect of the co-legislators,” Michael McNamara, Co-rapporteur for the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

Now that the European Parliament has approved a ban on nudifier apps, EU member States and the European Commission still need to give their final approval. However, they have already indicated their support for the ban.

The ban is expected to take effect this summer.

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