A recent study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has revealed that YouTube and X have directed millions of users to websites offering AI-powered “Nudify Tools” between December 2025 and March 2026. The report indicates that these platforms have become major traffic sources for services creating non-consensual explicit images, raising serious concerns about how major social networks contribute to the facilitation of deepfake detection despite having public policies prohibiting them.

Millions of paid visits via social media platforms

The study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue tracked the 10 most popular apps and websites used to create non-consensual explicit images, analyzing how users find them. The findings showed that social media platforms drove over 5.7 million visits to image stripping sites in just four months, with YouTube alone accounting for 1.82 million visits (equivalent to 30% of the total). X came in second place with more than 1.3 million visits.

Blatant conflict with the platforms' stated policies

Researchers believe these findings represent a direct contradiction to YouTube's policies that prohibit explicit sexual content, which should be strictly applied to external links and websites that create fake intimate images. In this regard, Melanie Smith, Senior Director of Policy and Research at the Institute, stated that YouTube was not just a passive source of visitors but actively contributed to facilitating the use of these tools by consistently failing to enforce its rules. In contrast, a YouTube spokesperson, Pot Bolvinkle, affirmed that the platform has strict policies prohibiting content containing unwanted sexual innuendos or intimate images shared without consent, including AI-generated modified content. These rules apply equally to external links and site content.

From personal blackmail to professional reputation destruction

In addition to tracking traffic, the Institute's study focused on the ease of access to these tools and their profitability; some applications generate inappropriate and fake images for as little as one dollar per image. The study explained that common targets are often from close circles such as colleagues or relatives. According to researcher Melanie Smith, the motivation behind using these apps often goes beyond sexual desire; they are used to blackmail targets, ruin their professional lives, and cause them to be fired from their jobs, confirming that deepfake technology has become an increasingly dangerous weapon for harassment, intimidation, and reputation damage in society.