BILL NUMBER: S10676
SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to prohibiting
nudification technology; and to amend the state finance law, in relation
to establishing the nudification prohibition recoveries services fund
 
PURPOSE:
To prohibit owners or controllers of websites or software programs from
facilitating the generation or altering of intimate images of identifi-
able individuals; and to create a fund for purposes of victims services
for recovery of penalties.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1, subdivision 1: Definitions, including that "nudify" or "nudi-
fication" shall mean the process by which a still or video image is
generated or altered to depict an intimate part not depicted in the
original image of an identifiable individual, in a manner sufficiently
realistic that a reasonable person would believe the intimate part
belongs to the identified individual.
Section 1, subdivision 2: Prohibits persons who own or control websites
or software applications from allowing a user to use such sites or
applications for purposes of nudifying a still or video image; and
prohibits owners or controllers of websites or software applications
from nudifying images on a user's behalf.
Section 1, subdivision 3: Prohibits advertising of any website or soft-
ware applications that perform the actions described in subdivision (2).
Section 1, subdivision 4: Provides exemptions if the website or software
application requires substantial application of individualized techno-
logical or artistic skill and judgment by a human creator in order to
nudify an image.
Section 1, subdivision 5: Provides for enforcement actions including
private right of civil action or enforcement of civil penalties by the
Attorney General.
Section 1, subdivision 6: Directs any civil penalties collected by the
State pursuant to subdivision (5) be deposited in a dedicated fund.
Section 1, subdivision 7: Federal compliance.
Section 2: Creates a new State Finance Law section 99-uu for purposes of
holding civil penalties collected pursuant to subdivision (5) of section
1; and provides that monies in this fund shall be used for grants
through the office of victim services, office for the prevention of
domestic violence, and division of criminal justice services, to commu-
nity based providers for purposes of providing services to victims of
sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Section 3. Effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York has been a national leader in protecting people against online
gender-based and sexual violence. We have enacted laws against the non-
consensual sharing of intimate images, and updated those laws in
response to the growth of "deepfakes" and Al-generated images. However,
our laws only address the people making or sharing the images; not the
technologies with which they are made. Increasingly, computer programs
and websites are being built that can facilitate the mass generation or
modification of deepfake nude images, child pornography, and similar
materials. Prosecuting the users of these sites or apps fails to address
the underlying problem and will not stem the tide of illegal content.
In the past year it was widely reported that certain websites and Al
programs were being used to generate edited photos of women with their
clothes removed ("nudification.") The Center for Countering Digital Hate
estimated that one single Al tool generated an estimated 190 sexualized
images per minute over an 11-day period - including images of children -
"after introducing a one-click editing feature."1 One tech industry
research organization identified over 100 nudify phone apps to digitally
remove the clothes from photographs on platforms that supposedly ban
depictions of nudity or sexual content.' These apps collectively have
been downloaded over 700 million times, generating over $100M in revenue
for themselves with a share for their hosts.
The problem is not just that technology can be used to modify images;
it's the deliberate simplicity that attracts users and allows mass
production of millions of images with the push of a button. It is truly
impossible to overstate the speed of growth in this area: From 2023 to
2025, the number of tip line reports of Al-related child sexual abuse
material received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Chil-
dren increased from 4,700 a year to 67,000 to over 400,000.(3)
As long as enforcement only targets individual app or website users, the
trend will continue. This kind of abuse is making app developers and
website owners rich while victimizing people across our state and coun-
try. The proliferation of modified images contributes to youth mental
health crises such as depression and self-harm, and can be both abuse in
and of itself and part of larger patterns of domestic violence or child
abuse.
In response, state and local governments are beginning to act to hold
app and website owners accountable. In July, 2026, the City of San Fran-
cisco sent cease and desist letters to tech companies demanding the
removal of known "nudify" apps from their stores.' In August Minnesota's
new law prohibiting nudification apps and websites took effect, provid-
ing civil recourse for victims and authority for actions by the State
against owners and operators of such platforms.
This bill, modeled on Minnesota, similarly provides remedies for both
victims of nudification software and the State Attorney General to take
actions against these operators. It exempts programs which require
substantial application of artistic or technical skill in generating the
output, in order to protect legitimate artistic tools and avoid penaliz-
ing applications that are truly meant for other primary purposes. The
bill also directs any penalties collected by the Attorney General be
used to provide grants through the State to community-based organiza-
tions specifically for provision of services for sexual assault, domes-
tic violence, and child abuse victims.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days
1 https://counterhate.com/research/grok-floods-x-with-sexualized-images/
2 https://www.techtransparencyprojectorcilarticles/nudify-apps- widely-
available-in-apple-and-google-appstores
3 haps://www.missingkids.om/theissues/qenerative-ai
4 http.c/2026/07/ae- ooòle ust-s oo-o -ai-nucrs-san- francisco-aq-says/