San Francisco's city attorney has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Meta, instructing the company to stop allowing paid advertisements that feature AI-generated child sexual abuse content. The letter requests an explanation for how these ads repeatedly appeared on Meta's platforms.
According to a report by WIRED, Meta has run over 350 ads in recent months that altered still images of minors—some identified as real individuals, including a member of a European royal family—into short video clips depicting sexual acts. When clicked, these ads directed users to download AI image- and video-generation applications, some of which could be used to create nonconsensual intimate imagery.
The ads, identified by researchers at the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), included duplicates and reached over 29,000 accounts across the European Union, as well as users in the US, Australia, and India. WIRED reported on a specific batch of 53 ads in early August, but more than 250 additional ads were found to have run on Meta's platforms after that report.
San Francisco city attorney David Chiu stated, "Meta has failed to address a known issue of AI-generated child sexually explicit ads, while profiting from them. These ads are deeply disturbing and cause harm to real children. Meta claims to have zero tolerance for child exploitation, yet the scale and persistence of these issues suggest current efforts are woefully inadequate. This is unacceptable, and Meta must do better."
In the four-page letter sent to Meta's legal team, Chiu emphasized that no company should allow its advertising systems to be exploited in this manner, especially one that claims to review and approve all advertisements prior to distribution. The letter raises questions about Meta's ad policies and safety systems and requests that the company's legal, child-safety, and advertising teams engage in discussions with the city office.
Meta responded by stating there is "no indication" that the ads were displayed in San Francisco, asserting that this means they fall outside the city attorney's jurisdiction. However, spokesperson Alex Barrett-Shorter from the City Attorney's Office countered that San Francisco consumers can access the ads through Meta's platforms, making it a matter of local concern.
Barrett-Shorter remarked, "We find Meta’s response astonishing. Meta appears less concerned about whether they’re guilty of exploiting children than whether San Francisco should say anything about it."
Meta previously informed WIRED that many of the ads identified by TTP had been removed before the report, and all have since been taken down for violating its policies. The company stated that the total ad spend for the identified ads was under $5,000.
The cease-and-desist letter demands that Meta cease running these ads and explain how they managed to evade moderation systems. It also asks for details on how the company escalates and reports such ads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and how it addresses advertisers behind the content.
Chiu's letter highlights that the findings suggest broader systemic issues with how Meta detects potential child sexual abuse in advertising and raises significant legal questions for the company. He stated, "My Office’s objective is not simply to identify past failures but to ensure that Meta puts systems in place that prevent children from being sexually exploited through advertisements Meta is paid to distribute."
The TTP researchers noted that in some instances, Meta did not respond to reports about abusive ads for over a week, during which time the ads were viewed by hundreds of additional users. When some ads were removed, they were not initially marked as containing child sexual abuse content.
Despite Meta's community standards prohibiting child sexual exploitation and nudity, researchers continue to find numerous ads directing users to harmful applications. Katie Paul, director of TTP, stated that Meta is "not effectively" addressing the issue, as ads containing child sexual abuse material are still appearing on its platforms. The organization has reported these ads to both Meta and NCMEC, with some already removed.
The letter requests a response from Meta within 28 days. Updated information from the San Francisco City Attorney's Office was added on September 9, 2026.