If an intimate image of you has been shared without your permission, report it to the website or platform hosting it and separately request removal from each search service where it appears. A search engine can limit results on its own service, but it cannot delete the original file from another website. Save the relevant URLs and report the content through the services’ official channels; if you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
First, identify where the image appears
Make a private record of each location so you can submit specific reports. Note the webpage or post URL, the image URL if available, and the search-results URL and search terms that surface it. Google’s request form asks for the relevant content URLs and, where applicable, Search results URLs and terms. Screenshots or other context may help a service identify the material, but avoid collecting or sharing more sensitive content than necessary.
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Do not upload sexual imagery of anyone under 18 to Google’s general removal form. Google also says not to include screenshots containing child sexual abuse imagery in that form. Record the page address and other non-image details instead, and use the appropriate reporting route for minors described below. See Google’s NCII removal request form and its guidance on explicit or intimate content.
Which removal route should you use?
These routes address different parts of the problem, so a request to one does not replace requests to the others.
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| Route | What it can affect | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| The website or platform hosting the image | The original post or hosted file on that service | Use the host’s reporting process or contact the site owner; a search engine cannot delete a file hosted elsewhere. |
| Google removal request | Content on Google services and, where policy requirements are met, Google Search results | Google’s decision affects Google, not the third-party host. YouTube has a separate reporting form. |
| Hash-matching tools | Potential matching uploads on participating services | StopNCII is the FTC-referenced option for adults; NCMEC’s Take It Down is the route for minors. Neither is a web-wide deletion service. |
| FTC platform-failure report | Reports that a covered U.S. platform did not meet its Take It Down Act duties | This is a U.S.-law-specific escalation route, not a general takedown request for every website worldwide. |
Ask the host or platform to remove the original
Start with the service displaying the image. Use its report option on the post or image when available, or find the platform’s help or support page and submit the report there. Include the specific URL, explain that the image is intimate and was shared without your permission, and provide any context the form requests. Keep a copy of what you submitted and any reply.
Reporting steps differ by platform and may depend on whether you have an account. If you cannot sign in, look for a public help-center route. The FTC says a platform covered by the Take It Down Act must make an easy request process available even to people without accounts. For a personal website, contact its owner or operator directly if there is no platform reporting flow. Google likewise recommends contacting the site owner when content is hosted outside Google products.
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The FTC explains that only the platform can take down intimate photos and videos from its own service. Its guidance, “Image-Based Abuse: What To Know and Do,” also describes reporting perpetrators and seeking support.
Request removal from Google separately
Submit Google’s NCII reporting form for relevant Google services such as Search, Drive, or Photos. Provide the requested content URLs and details that help identify the material. Google says it reviews requests and, when content violates its policy, removes it from Google services. It may also try to find and remove future copies, but does not promise to find every copy. YouTube uses a separate reporting form.
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Google says it aims to review an NCII request within 48 hours. That is Google’s stated review aim, not a deadline for the original website to remove the image and not a guarantee that Google will grant the request. If the host has already removed the image but it remains visible in Google Search, request a cache update through Google’s guidance. A cache update changes what Search displays; it does not remove the original file from the host.
Use hash-matching tools to reduce recirculation
A hash-matching tool creates a digital fingerprint of an image so participating platforms can look for matches, without sharing the image itself through the tool. The FTC points adults to StopNCII, a free global service operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline, and directs minors to NCMEC’s Take It Down. Availability and results depend on participating platforms: these services do not remove every copy from every website, and they do not replace reporting the image to its host.
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For practical instructions and the appropriate service for your circumstances, consult the FTC’s September 2026 guide to responding when an intimate image is shared online without consent.
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- Google: Google says it aims to review an NCII removal request within 48 hours. This is a review aim for Google’s process.
- Covered U.S. platforms: Under FTC guidance on the Take It Down Act, a covered platform must remove a reported image and known identical copies within 48 hours after receiving a valid request. This is a removal deadline under U.S. law, not a rule for every site in every country.
The FTC’s Take It Down Act compliance guidance, published in May 2026, explains the duties for covered platforms. Whether a platform is covered and whether a request is valid matter; the deadline should not be assumed to apply to an unrelated website or a service outside the Act’s scope.
Escalate threats, platform failures, or cases involving minors
If a covered U.S. platform does not act
If a covered platform has not removed the reported image and known identical copies within the Act’s 48-hour period after a valid request, or it has no working request process, the FTC says you can report the platform through its TakeItDown.ftc.gov route. This addresses a platform’s compliance; it is not a substitute for submitting the original request to the service.
If someone is threatening or blackmailing you
The FTC identifies local law enforcement and the FBI as routes for reporting perpetrators. Preserve relevant messages or account details if it is safe to do so, and do not let gathering evidence delay seeking help. If you face immediate danger, use local emergency resources.
If the person depicted is under 18
Do not send sexual imagery of a minor through a general adult reporting form or forward it to someone else. The FTC directs people to NCMEC’s Take It Down for minors and identifies NCMEC’s CyberTipline for reporting cases involving minors. Google’s guidance likewise directs people in danger to local emergency resources. Laws and available remedies depend on location and the circumstances.
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