{"slug": "ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as", "title": "AI 'Undress' Apps Used to Target Austrian MEP and Dozens of Women in Politics as Calls for EU Action Grow", "summary": "A letter signed by 119 members of the European Parliament, led by Austrian Green MEP Lena Schilling and German Green MEP Terry Reintke, urged EU leaders and national authorities to enforce the March 2026 European Parliament ban on AI 'undress' applications, which is due to apply from 2 December 2026 as an amendment to the 2024 EU AI Act. Schilling said non-consensual AI-generated nude deepfakes of her were circulating online, and a report by Berlin-based think tank Agora Digitale Transformation found 50 MEPs, including 46 women, had been targeted by sexualised deepfakes, with one in six female MEPs affected and women in European politics 33 times more likely than men to be depicted in such material. Calls intensified after early 2026 incidents in which users exploited Elon Musk's chatbot Grok to generate what researchers estimated were millions of sexualised images of women and children, prompting European Commission and national investigations and temporary blocks of the chatbot in some countries.", "body_md": "# AI 'Undress' Apps Used to Target Austrian MEP and Dozens of Women in Politics as Calls for EU Action Grow\n\n## A report found that 50 MEPs had been targeted by sexualised deepfakes, while lawmakers urged authorities to enforce a forthcoming ban on 'undress' applications\n\nAustrian Green Party MEP Lena Schilling has revealed that non-consensual, [AI-generated nude deepfakes](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/belgian-royals-politicians-targeted-nude-deepfakes-1826604) of her are circulating online. The images were reportedly created by digitally removing her clothing from footage of an early political press conference. Schilling described the abuse as 'digital violence' intended to humiliate and objectify her.\n\nAlongside German Green MEP Terry Reintke, she led a letter signed by 119 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urging EU leaders and national authorities to enforce forthcoming bans on AI 'undress' applications.\n\nThe European Parliament voted in March 2026 to ban AI tools that generate sexually explicit content depicting identifiable people without their consent.\n\n## Report Found 50 MEPs Targeted by Sexualised Deepfakes\n\nA report by Berlin-based think tank Agora Digitale Transformation (ADT) found that 50 MEPs, including 46 women, had been targeted by sexualised deepfakes. The report said one in six female MEPs had been affected. An earlier report identified at least 138 female parliamentarians across 22 EU countries as victims of non-consensual deepfake pornography.\n\nADT data indicated that women in European politics were 33 times more likely than men to be depicted in or associated with such material. The think tank described the trend as a systemic threat that uses digital harassment to intimidate women and push them out of public life.\n\nSchilling said many female colleagues had initially been reluctant to speak out. She urged victims not to blame themselves, saying they had nothing to be ashamed of because others had misused their photographs.\n\nLawmakers and think tanks have warned that sexualised deepfakes compound existing sexist harassment. They said the threat of such abuse could make it harder for women to pursue or remain in politics, while discouraging others from entering public life.\n\n## MEPs Demand Enforcement of Undress App Ban\n\nThe letter signed by 119 MEPs argued that a ban would offer little protection without effective enforcement. It called on national authorities to close technical and legal loopholes that allow ['nudifier' websites and applications](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ai-nudify-apps-accessible-child-accounts-investigation-1826499) to remain accessible. The signatories also urged action against companies that profit from digital abuse.\n\nThe March 2026 vote formed part of a series of amendments to the [2024 EU AI Act](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/minnesota-ai-fake-nude-ban-xai-appeal-1823658). The measure targets AI tools designed to generate or modify content depicting sexually explicit activities or intimate body parts of identifiable people without their consent. The ban is due to apply from 2 December 2026.\n\nThe law states that such material can cause serious harm to victims and violate fundamental rights to human dignity and privacy. Parliamentarians said explicit prohibitions were needed to protect victims from non-consensual imagery.\n\n## Grok Controversy Adds Pressure for Action\n\nCalls for stricter rules intensified following incidents in early 2026 in which users exploited [Elon Musk's chatbot Grok](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/police-grok-deepfake-cases-suspects-unidentified-1822604) to generate and circulate what researchers estimated were millions of sexualised images of [women and children](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/convicted-paedophile-ai-child-abuse-images-bail-playground-1821974).\n\nThe European Commission and several countries launched investigations into the incidents. Some countries also temporarily blocked access to the chatbot.\n\nMeanwhile, a petition titled 'Stop Abuse, Block Grok!', organised by civil society group Aufstehn.at, gathered 35,000 signatures, adding to demands for stronger action against AI-generated sexual abuse. Lawmakers and researchers warn that non-consensual sexualised deepfakes compound sexist harassment and threaten equal representation.\n\n© Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as", "canonical_source": "https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/lena-schilling-ai-nude-deepfakes-eu-action-1826852", "published_at": "2026-10-21 04:17:22+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-21 04:21:43.200004+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics", "generative-ai", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Lena Schilling", "Terry Reintke", "European Parliament", "Agora Digitale Transformation", "European Commission", "Grok", "Elon Musk", "EU AI Act"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-undress-apps-used-to-target-austrian-mep-and-dozens-of-women-in-politics-as.jsonld"}}