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MACHINE AGE CARTOON

APPROVED, THEN SWITCHED

By Zimbo · November 3, 2026

AI cartoon by Zimbo: Satirical cartoon: a phone showing a cute puppy app swings open like a door stamped APPROVED to reveal a blank grey mask and a red switch wired to a server box hidden inside the phone.
A cute puppy app door, stamped APPROVED, swings open to reveal a hidden mask and a red server switch wired to a server box inside the phone.Zimbo for AI News Page

The story behind the cartoon

A WIRED investigation identified more than 400 connected apps and web domains that looked like harmless AI services — pet portraits, language lessons, fitness coaching — but could load tools for making sexually explicit images from photos of real people.

The trick was server-side: after installation, the apps phoned home with the user's language, referral source and an ID, and the server decided whether to show the advertised features or a hidden deepfake site; one trigger was arriving via a Facebook or Instagram ad.

Apple removed 19 apps, including the pet-portrait app Viefur, after reporters shared the findings, saying the apps passed review and were later switched by their developers.

The puppy passed review with flying colors; what it was hiding behind the portrait did not need to pass anything at all.

READ THE FULL REPORT — AppleInsider ↗

MORE ZIMBO ↓

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