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MODERATE THREAT · Consumer Protection

Protecting Yourself Against Non-Consensual Intimate Image Sharing

The Federal Trade Commission has issued guidance for individuals whose intimate images have been shared online without their consent, highlighting new legal protections under the Take It Down Act.

10/4/2026Social media platformsImage-hosting websitesAdult content websitesMessaging applications

Warning signs

  • Discovery of private or intimate photos/videos posted on social media or websites without your permission
  • Threats from individuals to release intimate images unless money or favors are provided
  • Unsolicited messages containing your private images
  • Sudden appearance of your personal images on adult content or image-sharing platforms

What you should do

  • Do not pay any money to individuals threatening to release your images, as this rarely stops the abuse.
  • Document the content by taking screenshots that include the URL, date, and time of the post.
  • Use the reporting tools provided by the specific platform where the image was posted.
  • Visit StopNCII.org to create a digital hash of the image, which helps platforms identify and remove the content.
  • Report the incident to local law enforcement if you are being harassed or extorted.
  • Consult the official FTC guidance at consumer.ftc.gov for detailed steps on exercising your rights under the Take It Down Act.
If your intimate images have been shared online without your permission, you have specific rights and resources available to help remove them. Under the Take It Down Act, covered online platforms are legally required to provide mechanisms for users to report non-consensual intimate images (NCII). Victims can utilize tools like StopNCII.org, a service operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline, which generates digital hashes of images to assist in their removal from participating platforms with a high success rate. It is critical to document the abuse by taking screenshots of the content and the URL where it is hosted before attempting removal, as this evidence may be necessary for reporting to law enforcement or platform administrators.

Sources

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/09/was-your-intimate-image-shared-online-without-your-consent-heres-what-dohttps://stopncii.org/