The Take It Down Act: How to Get Intimate Images Removed

Finding an intimate image of yourself online that you never agreed to share is distressing, and it can feel as though there is nothing you can do. In the United States, the Take It Down Act gives people a specific route for getting non-consensual intimate images removed from covered online platforms, including images that were created or altered with AI.

This guide explains in plain language what the law covers, what a removal request should include, the steps to follow and what to do if a platform does not act.

What is the Take It Down Act?

The Take It Down Act is a US federal law signed on 19 May 2025. It addresses the publication of non-consensual intimate images, sometimes called NCII, and it explicitly covers digitally forged or AI-generated intimate images that depict a real, identifiable person, as well as authentic images.

The law has two main parts. It makes knowingly publishing such images, or threatening to publish them, a federal offence in defined circumstances. And it requires covered platforms to provide a notice-and-removal process so that people depicted can ask for the images to be taken down.

What platforms have to do

• Covered platforms had until 19 May 2026 to set up a notice-and-removal process.
• When a platform receives a valid request, it must remove the image within 48 hours.
• Platforms are also expected to make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies.
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces platform compliance with these requirements.

"Covered platforms" broadly means public websites and apps that primarily host user-generated content. Some services, such as email providers, are treated differently, so check the platform's own policy page.

What a removal request should include

A valid request generally needs enough information for the platform to find the image and to understand that it was shared without consent. Under the law, a request is expected to include:

• Your physical or electronic signature, or that of someone authorized to act for you.
• Identification of the image, with enough information to locate it, such as the URL.
• A brief statement that you believe in good faith the image was published without your consent, with any relevant information that supports that.
• Your contact information so the platform can reach you.

How to request removal under the Take It Down Act: step by step

1. Stay safe first. If you are being threatened, contact local police, and in an emergency call emergency services.
2. Record the evidence. Save the URL of every page showing the image and take screenshots that show the page and the date, without re-sharing the image. See how to preserve evidence.
3. Find the platform's removal process. Look for a link to report non-consensual intimate imagery in the platform's help or safety centre, or in the report menu on the post itself.
4. Complete the request with the details listed above: your signature, the location of the image, your good-faith statement of non-consent and your contact information.
5. Submit one request per platform, listing every URL you found on that platform.
6. Keep a copy of what you sent, the date and time, and any reference number or confirmation email.
7. Check back after 48 hours to see whether the image has been removed, and record the result.
8. Watch for copies. Search for the image again periodically and report new uploads using the same process.

If you are under 18, or the image shows you when you were under 18, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Take It Down service can help with removal of images across participating platforms, and the matter should also be reported to authorities.

What to do if a platform doesn't act

1. Check that the request reached the right process and included every required element, then resubmit if anything was missing.
2. Send a follow-up through the same channel, quoting your original reference and the date you submitted.
3. Keep a log of each attempt, including screenshots showing the image is still live.
4. Report the platform's failure to comply to the FTC through its official complaint process.
5. Consider speaking with a lawyer about other options, including civil or criminal routes where they apply.
6. If someone is threatening to publish images, read what to do when someone threatens to publish private images.

Outside the United States

The Take It Down Act is a US law. Many platforms apply similar removal processes globally, and other countries have their own laws on image-based abuse. If you are outside the US, a platform's NCII reporting process is still often the best starting point, alongside local legal advice.

Getting support

Dealing with image-based abuse can be overwhelming, and you do not have to do it alone. For students and families, our guide to AI-generated explicit images explains how schools and parents can respond. Where help with evidence and platform escalation is needed, Eterna can assist within your authorization through incident response. No removal outcome can be guaranteed, and decisions rest with each platform.