Alarming rise in Telegram bots that remove clothes from women's photos
There is no doubt about the potential of generative AI, but also its potential for misuse. From the moment the first apps that used AI to generate images arrived, it was clear that they would be used for malicious purposes; and in a very short time, the Android and iOS app stores were filled with apps to undress women, who only needed a photo to apply their “charm.”
Although clothes-removing apps have been banned by Google and Apple from their stores, their creators have found a way to access users’ phones; they’re taking advantage of another app that has also had its share of controversy: Telegram.
Since the arrest of its CEO Pavel Durov in France, Telegram has announced several changes intended to demonstrate its cooperation with justice, including sharing user data with police. However, the platform continues to host potentially illegal content, and as Wired has revealed, much of that content is related to illegal pornography.
Telegram hosts dozens of “bots” capable of creating images of naked people using artificial intelligence, from real photos; some of these “bots” take advantage of a little-known feature in Telegram, called “Mini Apps” and other “bots” claim to be able to put any person in a porn movie, swapping the face of the actor or actress with the victim’s face.
Telegram “bots” are automated users that respond when a user types in specific commands; bots are typically linked to a Telegram channel, but they can also be used independently. A Wired investigation found that at least 25 of these bot-linked channels have more than 3 million users combined.
The bots are working to enhance their ability to undress any woman, sometimes using photos of models that have been edited to appear as if their clothes have been removed. However, the process is not free; most of the bots require the use of “tokens,” which are earned using Telegram Stars, virtual currencies that can be purchased directly within the app or in the Apple and Google app stores. So Telegram not only hosts these platforms, it also monetizes them and makes some money from each purchase of a fake nude photo.
Other “bots” take advantage of Telegram’s “mini-apps” feature, which are essentially web pages adapted to the mobile screen, which are launched when the user uses the “bot.” In this way, the administrators can redirect the user to their own app, from which they can charge the user directly for creating nude photos.
As usual, these “bots” and “mini-applications” that promise to undress women are actually a scam. The only thing the function does is replace the covered body parts with photos taken from a database of naked women; in other words, the AI does not actually “undress” the woman in the photo, but simply superimposes parts taken from other women on her. However, the psychological impact of this practice and its use in “bullying” and harassment can greatly affect the victims.