If a private image was shared without your consent, you have options — most of them free.
This page starts with the official, no-cost channels available to everyone. Read those first. If you still need help, that's what we're here for.
Quick overview
- Most of what helps costs nothing. See the free channels.
- If anyone in the image is under 18, this is never a paid matter — go straight to NCMEC. Read this first.
- Being threatened for money over an image is a crime, not a negotiation. What to do right now.
- Once free channels are exhausted, removal continues with hosts, search engines, and DMCA or legal channels — suppression is the fallback. See how we help.
- We won't ask for payment before free channels are tried, or promise guaranteed removal — timelines depend on the platform. What we won't do.
Start here — these are free
Before anything paid, use the official channels below. They cost nothing, and using them first doesn't cost you anything if you later decide you want help.
StopNCII.org (adults)
A free, nonprofit-run tool that creates a secure digital fingerprint (hash) of an intimate image without you having to upload the image itself.
Participating platforms use that fingerprint to detect and block the content, including attempts to re-upload it later. This is the right first step if you're 18 or older.
Google's image removal request
Google lets you request removal of a non-consensual explicit image directly from Search results — select the three dots on the image result, choose "remove result," then "it shows a sexual image of me." This addresses the search listing; it doesn't remove the image from the site hosting it, which usually needs a separate report.
The platform's own reporting tools
Most major platforms — social networks, image hosts, forums — have a specific policy and report flow for non-consensual intimate imagery, usually faster than a general abuse report. Look for "non-consensual intimate imagery" or "NCII" in their reporting categories rather than a generic complaint.
Your federal 48-hour removal right (TAKE IT DOWN Act)
Since May 2026, federal law requires covered platforms — social media, messaging, image and video sharing, and gaming services — to provide a clear removal process and take down a non-consensual intimate image, along with known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request. This applies to real photos and videos and to AI-generated "digital forgeries," and it covers both adults and minors.
This is enforced by the FTC, so it's a legal obligation on the platform, not a favor — if a report through the normal channel stalls well past 48 hours, that's worth mentioning when you follow up.
Is the image AI-generated, not a real photo?
The channels above still apply — see our dedicated Deepfake Removal guide for what's specific to it.
Is the site itself ignoring your report?
See our dedicated guide to going around the site — hosting provider, registrar, and DMCA escalation.
If anyone in the image is under 18
Stop and use these resources instead — this is never something you should pay anyone for, including us:
- NCMEC's Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org) — a free tool specifically for removing images of minors from participating platforms.
- NCMEC CyberTipline — report the content directly for investigation and support.
- Law enforcement — this should also be reported to local police or the FBI.
Don't save or screenshot the image itself while reporting it — doing so can be treated as possessing child sexual abuse material, even if your intent is only to document the problem. Report the source and the surrounding context instead, and let NCMEC or law enforcement handle the content directly.
We will point anyone in this situation to these resources rather than take payment for it.
Being threatened or blackmailed with an image?
That's sextortion, and it's a crime. Don't pay — payment rarely ends the demands.
Preserve the messages as evidence, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) or your local police, and use StopNCII.org (or NCMEC's Take It Down if a minor is involved) to get ahead of the images before they're shared further.
If anyone involved might be under 18, preserve the messages and context, but don't save or screenshot the image itself — go straight to the minors section above instead.
Being actively threatened right now?
See our step-by-step guide for what to do in the moment — none of it involves paying.
What's realistic on timing
StopNCII's hashing mainly prevents future uploads on participating platforms — it's not an instant takedown of something already posted. Direct platform reports and Google's removal request typically move in days, not minutes.
If a site doesn't respond to standard channels at all, that's usually where a structured, persistent process — not a single request — makes the difference, and that's the point where our paid work starts.
If you need help beyond the free channels
Once the free options above are used, or if a site simply isn't responding, we pursue removal directly with the host, the search engines, and — where the content was originally yours — through DMCA and legal channels. If direct removal genuinely isn't possible, we're honest about that and can move to a suppression strategy instead.
Payment structure and next steps are covered in a confidential assessment — we'll tell you plainly what's realistic before you commit to anything.
Not sure whether your specific situation is something we can even help with? Our free removal assessment tool gives you a quick, honest read before you reach out.
What we don't do
We won't take payment for anything involving a minor — that always goes to NCMEC and law enforcement instead, at no cost.
- Ask you to pay before you've tried the free official channels first — that order doesn't change based on what you can afford.
- Promise instant removal or a guaranteed outcome — timelines depend on the platform, not on us, and we'll tell you what's realistic before you commit to anything.
Common questions
Do I have to pay to get an intimate image removed?
No — the first step is always free. StopNCII.org and the major platforms' own reporting tools cost nothing and work whether or not you ever engage a service like ours. Our paid work starts only after those free channels are exhausted or you need help pursuing sites that don't respond to standard reports.
What is StopNCII.org and how is it different from what you do?
It's a nonprofit-run service that lets you generate a private digital fingerprint of an image instead of uploading the image itself — participating platforms use that fingerprint to catch and block matching uploads, including future attempts. There's no cost and no need to involve us; anyone 18 or older should start there before anything else.
The image involves someone under 18 — what do I do?
Stop here and go to NCMEC's Take It Down tool (takeitdown.ncmec.org) or report it to the NCMEC CyberTipline immediately. This is never something we or anyone else should charge you for, and it should also be reported to law enforcement. We can point you to the right resources, but this is not a paid engagement.
Someone is threatening to share images unless I pay them — what now?
That's sextortion — a crime, not a negotiation. Paying doesn't make it stop. Save every message as evidence, file a report with the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov) or your local police, and get ahead of the images now through StopNCII.org, or NCMEC's Take It Down tool if anyone involved is under 18.
How fast can images actually come down?
It varies by channel and depends on who's holding the content. StopNCII hashing mainly prevents future uploads on participating platforms rather than instantly removing something already posted; direct platform reports and Google's removal request typically take days, not minutes. We'll give you a realistic timeline for your specific situation, not a guess.
Is there a law that forces platforms to remove these images?
Yes. Since May 2026, the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act obligates covered platforms — social media, messaging apps, image and video hosts, and gaming services — to take down a validly reported non-consensual intimate image, plus known copies, within 48 hours, whether the person affected is an adult or a minor. The FTC enforces this, so it's a legal requirement on the platform, not a courtesy.
Related
Also dealing with your address, phone number, or other personal info exposed on data broker sites? See our dedicated Data Broker Removal page.
Start today
Still need help after the free channels?
Tell us what's happening. We'll give you an honest read on what's realistic — confidentially.
We follow the same free-first order on every case, no exceptions — paid work only starts if you actually still need it after the free channels, never before.
Get my confidential assessment