How to Request Removal of Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery

How to Request Removal of Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery

Use the platform's current nonconsensual intimate imagery or TAKE IT DOWN Act process. Record the page location and the platform's response without spreading the material. A valid statutory request includes a signature, information sufficient to locate the depiction, a brief good-faith statement that it was published without consent, and contact information.

Do not download, forward, or ask someone to send intimate material merely to make a report or use a hash service. If the depicted person was under 18 when the image or video was taken, follow NCMEC Take It Down guidance rather than adult-service instructions.

This is a calm navigation guide, not emergency, legal, or individualized safety advice.

Start with immediate safety

If the post is connected to threats, stalking, coercion, extortion, account compromise, location exposure, or someone who can reach you in person, removal may be only one part of the situation. Use qualified current help for your location and circumstances.

Avoid confronting a suspected uploader through this guide. Do not make a new copy of the intimate material just to prove that it exists.

If another person found the post, ask them not to forward the image or video. They may be able to give you the page URL, account name, visible date, and other non-image context without reproducing it.

Preserve the location, not another copy

When it is safe, record information that helps the platform find the post. The page or post URL is usually more useful than a general description. Also note the profile URL, username, post identifier, visible date and time, and where the content appeared.

Keep the confirmation number, submission time, response, and appeal result from each report. [[How to Preserve Digital Evidence Without Re-Sharing Intimate Material]] explains this boundary in more detail.

Do not let this general guide decide whether to retain, delete, capture, transfer, or provide the intimate file itself. That choice can affect privacy, safety, service eligibility, investigations, and legal rights.

Find the platform's designated process

Look for language such as nonconsensual intimate imagery, intimate image abuse, NCII, sexual content shared without consent, or TAKE IT DOWN Act.

The notice should be clear and conspicuous. It should explain how to submit a request. The FTC says covered platforms must make the process available even when the person does not have an account.

Use the designated process when available. A general abuse report or customer-support message may not collect the statutory fields or start the platform's intended workflow.

flowchart TD
    A["Address immediate safety"] --> B["Record URL and limited context"]
    B --> C["Use the platform's designated process"]
    C --> D["Keep confirmation and response"]
    D --> E{"Was the platform process available and responsive?"}
    E -->|Yes| F["Check the result without resharing"]
    E -->|No| G["Report the platform through TakeItDown.ftc.gov"]
    B --> H{"Age when the image was taken"}
    H -->|Under 18| I["Read NCMEC Take It Down guidance"]
    H -->|18 or older| J["Check StopNCII eligibility"]

Include the required written information

The enacted law permits the identifiable person, or an authorized person acting for them, to send the request.

Do not add graphic detail that the form does not need. Do not upload the intimate file unless the platform's current process requires it and you have made an informed decision to use that process.

Track the 48-hour period accurately

After a covered platform receives a valid request through its process, the statute requires it to remove the identified depiction as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours. It must also make reasonable efforts to find and remove known identical copies.

Save the submission confirmation because it helps establish when the platform received the request. The FTC recommends that platforms provide a tracking number and status.

The 48-hour requirement does not guarantee that every edited copy, private message, encrypted exchange, search result, or repost on another service will disappear.

Report a failed platform process to the FTC

If a platform does not provide a process or does not respond to a valid request, the FTC directs people to TakeItDown.ftc.gov. The complaint concerns the platform's compliance.

An FTC complaint is not a direct emergency service, a guarantee of immediate removal, private legal representation, or a decision about criminal liability. Keep the platform URL, request confirmation, submission time, response, and any stated reason for denial so the report is specific.

Choose the service based on age in the image

NCMEC Take It Down is for material taken when the depicted person was under 18, even if the person is now an adult. The file must already be on the device. NCMEC says not to download it or ask someone to send it merely to use the tool.

StopNCII is intended for a person who was 18 or older in the image, is currently an adult, is the person depicted, and already has access to the file. Read the current eligibility terms before proceeding.

These services generate a fingerprint on the device and send the hash rather than the original file through the hashing step. They work with participating platforms and have important limits. [[How NCII Hash Matching Works and Where It Fails]] explains what that means.

Keep removal and legal options separate

Removing a platform copy does not decide whether a crime occurred, identify the uploader, preserve every form of evidence, or resolve a threat.

The Department of Justice explains a separate federal civil cause of action for some nonconsensual sharing. That path has its own requirements and exceptions. State law and other federal law may also matter.

This page provides general information, not legal advice, emergency advice, evidence advice, or a promise of removal. It was reviewed against current FTC, DOJ, NCMEC, and StopNCII sources on July 28, 2026. Obtain qualified current help before making a decision about threats, a minor, the intimate file, law enforcement, or litigation.

This guide was developed with AI assistance and reviewed against the sources linked above. Dalton Anderson is responsible for the final editorial judgment.