Meta Ran Advertisements Featuring AI-Created Child Exploitation Images

Editor’s note: This article includes descriptions of imagery related to child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is highly advised.

In the past nine months, Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has run numerous paid advertisements featuring explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and images of minors alongside sexually suggestive phrases, as revealed by details shared with WIRED. These ads targeted individuals in the United States, United Kingdom, and over a dozen European nations, reaching thousands of accounts in some instances.

Researchers from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) recently uncovered more than 50 image and video ads containing abusive content in Meta’s ad library. Some of the listings indicated that certain ads were linked to so-called nudify or undressing applications. Meta’s ad library serves as a transparency tool that catalogs advertisements displayed across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and/or Threads. This discovery marks the second time in recent weeks that paid ads related to child sexual abuse material have been identified on Meta’s platforms.

“These ads took no precautions to obscure the images or disguise their promotion,” stated Katie Paul, director of TTP, an independent watchdog organization, to WIRED. “It’s crucial to emphasize that this content was not posted by third parties on Facebook or Instagram; these are ads that were reviewed, approved, and permitted to run by Meta, all while the company profited from the ad revenue without any intervention.”

The ads identified by researchers, which have since been removed by Meta for breaching its policies on child sexual abuse and exploitation material, as well as adult sexual solicitation and nudity, were all published between November of last year and early August. According to data from Meta’s ad transparency library, these ads typically ran over several days, with some specifically targeting male audiences.

One video ad, as reported by TTP researchers, featured a thumbnail image of a child sitting on the floor with text overlaying it reading: “Realizing Deep Fantasies with Generation AI [sic]. There is so much more than what is shown, use your imagination.” The researchers pointed out that clicking the ad played video clips of adults engaged in sexual acts, subsequently overlaying the child’s face from the thumbnail onto a sexual act.

Another ad, which had been repeatedly posted, displayed an image of a young girl reclining with her legs spread in a sexualized position, accompanied by text above stating: “I can show you more.”

Most of the ads were not actively displayed to users when researchers discovered them, but remained accessible, seemingly unnoticed, in Meta’s ad library for months. While many of these ads reportedly only “reached” a small number of accounts, at least one ad reached 2,563 accounts across Europe, including nations such as France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Meta’s ad library database does not provide specifics about ad performance in the US or all countries, suggesting that the overall reach may be even higher.

Paul mentioned that TTP first uncovered these ads last week while investigating nudify app advertisements on Meta, following the publication of a report about a Chinese advertising partner that posted them. She noted that the organization promptly reported the findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which allows for the reporting of online child sexual abuse material. A spokesperson from NCMEC stated that it does not comment on the reports it receives.

After WIRED contacted Meta, the company removed the ads from its advertising library. “Sexual exploitation is horrific, and we work tirelessly to eliminate it from our platform,” a spokesperson from Meta stated. “Most of these ads had limited reach, and many were disabled before WIRED brought them to our attention. Many of these advertisements also predate new AI technology we’ve recently implemented to enhance detection and blockage of violating ads upon upload—and we are continually improving these systems. From removing over 36 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content last year to taking legal action against nudify app developers, we remain committed to fighting this abuse relentlessly.”