What to Do If Your Intimate Images Were Shared Online Without Consent

If someone shared an intimate image or video of you online without your permission — or created or altered one digitally — you have rights, and online platforms have legal obligations to help you. Under the Take It Down Act, platforms must give you an easy way to submit a takedown request and must take the content down within 48 hours. If a platform fails to do that, you can report it to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. This guidance applies whether the image was originally shared by you or someone else, and whether it was posted by a partner, ex-partner, or a stranger.

Your Rights and the Platform's Obligations

The FTC's Consumer Advice explains that when an intimate photo or video of you is shared online without your consent, you are not without recourse. Two things are true at once:

• You have rights. You did not consent to the image being shared, and that matters legally and practically.
• Platforms have obligations. The law requires platforms to provide an easy way for you to submit a takedown request — and to act on it within 48 hours.

This covers two situations the FTC specifically names:

1. Someone shared an intimate image or video of you online without your permission.
2. Someone digitally altered or created an intimate image of you (for example, a "deepfake" or AI-generated image).

Both are treated as violations of your trust and privacy, and both trigger the platform's responsibility to respond.

How to Submit a Takedown Request

The exact steps depend on the platform, but the general process works like this:

1. Find the platform's reporting or takedown tool. The law requires platforms to give you an easy way to submit a request, so look for a dedicated reporting form or a "report" option on the content itself.
2. Submit your request. Provide enough detail for the platform to identify the content — typically a link to the post or image, and a statement that it was shared without your consent.
3. Note the time you submitted it. The 48-hour clock is the key deadline. Keeping a record of when you filed helps if you later need to report the platform.
4. Watch for the response. If the platform removes the content within 48 hours, the immediate issue is resolved. If it doesn't, move to the next step.

Expected result: The platform removes the content within 48 hours of your request. If that doesn't happen, the platform itself has violated its obligation.

If the Platform Doesn't Take It Down

When a platform fails to quickly take down your intimate images, the FTC wants to hear about it. The Consumer Advice page states directly: report them to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

This is a separate action from your takedown request. You are not just asking the platform again — you are reporting the platform's failure to a federal agency that can act on it.

What to have ready when you report

• The link or location of the content
• When you submitted your takedown request
• What response (or lack of response) you received from the platform

Protecting Your Privacy Along the Way

Reporting and takedown requests can feel exposing, so it helps to limit how much you share and with whom:

• Submit only what's required. Platforms and the FTC need enough to identify the content and the violation — not a broader explanation of your personal life.
• Use the official channels. Go directly to the platform's reporting tool and to TakeItDown.ftc.gov rather than through third parties.
• Keep your own records. Save confirmation emails, screenshots of timestamps, and any replies. These support a report if the platform doesn't comply.

Related Situations the FTC Covers

The same Consumer Advice site addresses a related threat: stalkerware. An abusive partner or ex-partner can use apps and programs known as stalkerware to secretly track your device and online activity. If someone is both sharing your images and monitoring your device, the FTC's guidance on recognizing and responding to stalkerware is worth reading alongside this.

The FTC also maintains a general fraud reporting channel at ReportFraud.ftc.gov for scams and bad business practices, and offers free credit reports and consumer alerts through the same site.

Quick Reference

The core takeaway: you have a right to have this content removed, the platform has a 48-hour obligation to act, and the FTC provides a direct channel to report platforms that fail.