Intimate Images Shared Without Consent: How to Get Them Removed
Intimate images shared without consent? Learn how to document the abuse, report every copy, stop re-uploads with StopNCII and remove results from Google.
Key takeaways
- If someone shared intimate images of you without your consent, it is not your fault, and free, confidential help is available.
- Record the links and keep private screenshots of the pages, but if you were under 18 in the images, record only the links.
- Report every copy to the site hosting it, then use StopNCII.org, or Take It Down if you were under 18, to help stop re-uploads on participating platforms.
- Ask Google to remove the results from Search, and contact a helpline or the police when you want support or legal action.
- GIGAXXX bans non-consensual content, including sexual deepfakes of real people, and never asks you to send intimate images.
On this page
If intimate images of you have been shared without your consent, you are not to blame, and you can take back a lot of control. Most platforms remove this content when it is reported, free tools can stop the same images from being uploaded again, and specialist helplines can guide you through every step. Here is what to do, in order.
You are not to blame
Sharing someone’s intimate images without their consent is abuse, whether the images were taken with permission, stolen from a phone or account, or faked with editing tools. Agreeing to a photo is not agreeing to its publication, and the responsibility lies entirely with the person who shared it. You may hear this called “revenge porn,” but support services often prefer terms such as intimate image abuse, which keep the focus on the harm done to you.
Shock, anger, fear and shame are all normal reactions. If you can, ask someone you trust to help with the practical steps below; they can do the searching and the screenshots so you do not have to look at everything yourself.
Step 1: Document what you find
Record the evidence before anything is taken down. You may need it for reports to platforms, the police or a lawyer.
- Copy the full web address (URL) of every page where the images appear, and of any profile that posted them.
- Take screenshots of each page that show the address bar, the date, the username and any comments or threats. The image itself does not need to be visible.
- Save messages, emails or texts from the person responsible, including any demands.
- Write down when and how you found each copy.
- Keep everything in a private folder, and do not forward the images to anyone, even to warn friends.
If you still have the original photos or videos on your own device, keep them for now: the hashing tools described below work from those files.
If you were under 18 in the images
Do not download, screenshot or forward copies you find online, even as evidence. Write down the links instead and report them to NCMEC’s CyberTipline or, in the UK, to the IWF. Elsewhere, the INHOPE network lists national hotlines. These organizations are set up to handle this material safely and legally.
Step 2: Report every copy to the platform
Mainstream platforms prohibit intimate images shared without consent and offer a way to report them. Look for a Report link next to the content, or for a help page about privacy, abuse or content removal. Report each copy separately, say clearly that you are the person shown and did not consent, and keep any case numbers or confirmation emails.
Be wary of paid “removal services” that promise fast results or ask for copies of the images. Reporting is free, and helplines can help you do it.
Removing content from GIGAXXX
To report a video on GIGAXXX, use our contact form and choose Remove my content, or select Report under the video. Include the link to each video and state that you did not consent. You do not need an account, and your request goes straight to our team.
Our team reviews every report, and reports involving non-consensual content are prioritized. Hidden-camera recordings, leaked or so-called revenge material and sexual deepfakes of real people are banned under the zero-tolerance rules in our Terms of Service, and content that breaks these rules is removed. We will never ask you to send intimate images. Our article on consent and age verification explains how legitimate platforms check consent before anything is published.
Step 3: Stop the images from spreading
StopNCII.org, if you were 18 or older in the images
StopNCII.org is a free tool developed by SWGfL, the UK charity that also runs the Revenge Porn Helpline. It is for adults who are worried that intimate images of them have been or could be shared online, and it works like this:
- On StopNCII.org, you select the images or videos on your own phone or computer.
- The tool creates a hash, a unique digital fingerprint, on your device. The images themselves are never uploaded.
- Only the hash is shared with participating platforms, which use it to find matching copies, including new uploads, and review them against their rules.
- You receive case details that let you check on your case or withdraw it later, so keep them somewhere safe.
Hashing only helps on platforms that take part, and heavily edited copies may not match, so keep reporting directly to other sites too.
Take It Down, if you were under 18 in the images
Take It Down is a free service from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for nude, partially nude or sexually explicit images and videos of someone under 18. It uses the same on-device hashing, so the files never leave your device. You can use it if you are under 18 now or if you were under 18 in the images, and a parent or trusted adult can help you.
Step 4: Remove the results from Google Search
Search results can make images easy to find even when the page hosting them is obscure. Google offers a dedicated request to remove non-consensual explicit images from Search. Have your list of links ready, since the form asks where the images appear and which searches bring them up. The same process covers fake explicit images that falsely depict you, such as deepfakes.
Removing a search result does not delete the image from the website itself, so do this alongside your reports to platforms. Other search engines, such as Bing, offer similar request forms.
| Tool | Use it when | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| StopNCII.org | You were 18 or older in the images | Shares a hash so participating platforms can find and remove copies |
| Take It Down | You were under 18 in the images | Shares a hash so participating platforms can find and remove copies |
| Google removal request | The images show up in Google Search | Removes the results from Search, not from the website |
Get support and consider legal options
Helplines
- UK: the Revenge Porn Helpline offers confidential advice to adults living in the UK and can help with reporting and removal.
- US: the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs a confidential helpline for people affected by image abuse and publishes information about US laws.
- Elsewhere: look for a national victim-support or online-safety service; many countries have one.
Police and the law
Sharing intimate images without consent is a crime in many places, including the UK and, in the US, under federal law and the laws of most states. Threatening to share them, or demanding money or more images, is usually a crime too. The US federal law known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act, passed in 2025 and separate from NCMEC’s tool, also covers AI-generated images and requires many online platforms to remove reported images quickly.
You can talk to the police even if you are unsure about going to court; bring your evidence folder. A lawyer can explain civil options, such as seeking damages or a court order for removal, and helplines can often point you to free or low-cost legal help. If someone is demanding money, do not pay; our guide to spotting scams and sextortion explains why.
Sexual deepfakes
AI tools can now place a real person’s face into explicit images or videos they never took part in. These fakes cause real harm, and the steps in this guide apply to them too: document the links, report each copy, ask Google to remove the results and contact a helpline. StopNCII.org also accepts deepfakes: if you have a copy of the fake image, you can hash it the same way. On GIGAXXX, sexual deepfakes of real people are banned, and you can report them through the same form as any other non-consensual content.
The bottom line
You did nothing wrong, and you do not have to handle this alone. Record the links, report every copy, use StopNCII.org or Take It Down to help stop re-uploads, ask Google to remove the results, and lean on a helpline for support. On GIGAXXX, use our contact form or the Report button under the video: reports involving non-consensual content are prioritized, and we never ask you to send intimate images.
Frequently asked questions
Can intimate images really be removed from the internet?
Often, yes. Mainstream platforms remove intimate images shared without consent when they are reported, and tools such as StopNCII.org help stop the same images from being uploaded again on participating platforms. Nobody can promise removal from every corner of the internet, but acting quickly and reporting every copy makes a real difference.
Does StopNCII.org see my photos?
No. StopNCII.org creates a digital fingerprint, called a hash, on your own phone or computer. Only that hash is shared with participating platforms, which use it to find matching copies. The photos and videos themselves never leave your device, and nobody at StopNCII views them.
What if I was under 18 in the images?
Use Take It Down, a free service from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that works in a similar way, and report the content to NCMEC’s CyberTipline. Do not download, screenshot or forward copies you find online; write down the links instead and let the specialists handle the material.
Are sexual deepfakes covered by the same rules?
In a growing number of places, yes. Laws in the US and the UK, for example, now cover sexually explicit images that were faked or altered to show a real person. Mainstream platforms, including GIGAXXX, ban them, and StopNCII.org accepts them, so the same removal steps apply.
