Directory
Removing intimate images shared without consent, by country
Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) is treated as a crime or a civil wrong in most countries, and the removal route depends on where you are: a platform duty with a deadline in the United States, a criminal offence with a dedicated helpline in the United Kingdom, a regulator with removal powers in Australia. This table lists eleven jurisdictions with the law, the removal route and the support service, checked on November 6, 2026.
Table checked November 6, 2026 · entry updated November 6, 2026
| Country | Law | Removal route | Platform duty | Helpline or support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Take It Down Act (federal, 2025) plus state laws in 49 states | Request to the platform; complaint at TakeItDown.ftc.gov if ignored; StopNCII hash | Remove within 48 hours of a valid request, including copies (enforced since May 19, 2026) | CCRI Image Abuse Helpline; under 18: NCMEC Take It Down |
| United Kingdom | Sexual Offences Act 2003 s.66B (via the Online Safety Act 2023); sharing is an offence without proof of intent | Platform report; police; Revenge Porn Helpline for adults | Priority illegal content under the Online Safety Act; Ofcom enforces | Revenge Porn Helpline 0345 6000 459, weekdays 10:00 to 16:00; under 18: Report Remove (Childline and IWF) |
| European Union | Digital Services Act notice-and-action; Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women criminalises NCII and deepfake NCII (transposition by June 2027); GDPR erasure | DSA notice to the platform with statement of reasons; national police; GDPR request | Act expeditiously on notices; give reasons; out-of-court dispute route | National helplines; EU-wide 116 006 victim support in participating states |
| India | IT Act 2000 s.66E and s.67, s.67A; IT Rules 2021 24-hour removal of intimate images on complaint; IPC/BNS offences | Complaint at cybercrime.gov.in or helpline 1930; platform grievance officer | Remove within 24 hours of a complaint under Rule 3(2)(b) of the IT Rules 2021 | National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and 1930; Tele-MANAS 14416 for mental health support |
| Canada | Criminal Code s.162.1 (non-consensual distribution of intimate images); provincial civil statutes (for example Manitoba, Alberta, BC) | Police; platform report; civil claim in provinces with a statute | Platform policies; Online Harms Act proposed, not in force | Under 18: NeedHelpNow.ca and Cybertip.ca; adults: local police and victim services |
| Australia | Online Safety Act 2021 image-based abuse scheme (via Privacy Act context); state criminal offences | Report to the eSafety Commissioner, who can issue removal notices | Removal notices with a 24-hour compliance period; civil penalties | eSafety image-based abuse; Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hours) |
| Germany | StGB s.201a (violation of intimate privacy by taking or sharing images); NetzDG and the DSA for platforms | Police (Strafanzeige); platform report; DSA notice | DSA duties; Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz enforcement by the Bundesnetzagentur | HateAid (hateaid.org) support for digital violence; Weisser Ring 116 006 |
| France | Code penal art. 226-2-1 (sharing sexual images without consent, up to 2 years and EUR 60,000); PHAROS reporting platform | Report on PHAROS (internet-signalement.gouv.fr); police; platform report | DSA duties; Arcom enforces | 3919 (violence against women, free); e-Enfance 3018 for minors |
| Ireland | Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco's Law) | Garda report; Hotline.ie for removal support; platform report | DSA duties; Coimisiun na Mean enforces | Hotline.ie for intimate image removal; Women's Aid 1800 341 900 |
| Japan | Act on Prevention of Damage by Provision of Private Sexual Image Records 2014 (the revenge porn law); 2023 photo voyeurism law | Police; the Safer Internet Association's removal support; platform report | Provider liability law notice-and-takedown with shortened periods for intimate images | Safer Internet Association helpline; police consultation #9110 |
| Brazil | Penal Code art. 218-C (Lei 13.718/2018); Marco Civil art. 21 notice-and-takedown for intimate content | Notice to the platform under Marco Civil art. 21; police (Delegacia de Crimes Ciberneticos); SaferNet | Remove intimate content on notice from the victim without a court order (Marco Civil art. 21) | SaferNet Brasil helpline and reporting; Ligue 180 (women) |
Laws are summarised, not quoted. Check the national text before relying on a deadline. StopNCII (hash-based blocking on participating platforms) works from every country for adults; Take It Down (NCMEC) covers images of people under 18 worldwide.
NCII stands for non-consensual intimate imagery: real or synthetic sexual images of a person shared without their agreement. Almost every jurisdiction listed here has created a specific offence in the last decade, and several have added duties on platforms with deadlines. The table gives the route that works in each place; the opt-outs and removal concept explains why platform removal, search engine removal and hosting removal are three different steps.
- US United States 48-hour duty, FTC enforcement
- UK United Kingdom Online Safety Act, Ofcom
- EU European Union DSA notice-and-action; 2024 directive
- IN India 24-hour removal under IT Rules 2021
- CA Canada Criminal Code s.162.1
- AU Australia eSafety removal notices
- DE Germany StGB 201a plus DSA
- FR France Art. 226-2-1 plus DSA
- IE Ireland Coco's Law plus DSA
- JP Japan 2014 law, provider takedown
- BR Brazil Marco Civil art. 21 takedown
- No specific offence
- Offence, no platform deadline
- Offence plus platform duty
- Offence plus deadline and regulator removal power
Source: National statutes as listed in the table, checked November 6, 2026
How to use this table
- Report to the platform first using its NCII route, not the general report form. Under the US, UK, Indian and Australian regimes the platform has a legal deadline; cite it.
- Hash the images at StopNCII (adults) or Take It Down (under 18) in parallel. This blocks re-uploads on participating platforms, which a single removal does not.
- File a police or regulator report where the table lists one. It creates a record that platforms and courts rely on and is required for the regulator removal powers in Australia and the UK.
- Only then deal with search engines: Google's removal request for explicit images, and the face search engine routes in the opt-out directory.
What this directory does not cover
- Civil damages. Several jurisdictions allow a claim for compensation; a lawyer or legal aid service in the country can advise.
- Images hosted on sites outside any of these jurisdictions. Hashing and search-engine removal are then the practical levers.
- Synthetic images in countries whose law predates deepfakes. The US Act, the UK Act, the 2024 EU directive and Australia's scheme cover them explicitly; older statutes may not.
Questions
Does the platform have to remove the image within a fixed time?
In the United States, 48 hours after a valid request under the Take It Down Act since May 2026. In India, 24 hours after a complaint under the IT Rules 2021. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner can issue a notice with a 24-hour compliance period. The UK, the EU and the others require prompt action without a fixed clock in the statute.
Do I have to own the copyright?
No. NCII laws protect the person depicted regardless of who took the image. A DMCA notice is a separate copyright route that only works if you took the photo.
Does hashing at StopNCII remove images that are already online?
No. It gives participating platforms a fingerprint to block future uploads and to find existing copies they host. Removal from a site that does not participate still needs a report to that site.
What about AI-generated images of me?
The US Take It Down Act, the UK Online Safety Act, the EU 2024 directive and Australia's scheme treat realistic synthetic images the same as real ones. Elsewhere, report under the general offence and the platform's own synthetic-media rules.
Sources
- 1.FTC, FTC Begins Enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act (checked May 19, 2026)
- 2.Revenge Porn Helpline (checked November 6, 2026)
- 3.StopNCII (checked November 6, 2026)
- 4.NeedHelpNow.ca, Canadian Centre for Child Protection (checked November 6, 2026)
- 5.Lifeline Australia (checked November 6, 2026)
Entry reviewed November 6, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.
Related entries
- Directory Helplines for image abuse, scams and online harm, by country Helplines and reporting portals for image abuse, sextortion, romance fraud, stalking and crisis in the US, UK, India, Canada, Australia and Europe.
- Directory Where to report a fake or impersonating account Official impersonation report routes for 13 platforms, from Instagram and Facebook to Tinder and Telegram, with who can file and what each asks for.
- Law TAKE IT DOWN Act (United States) The US TAKE IT DOWN Act: a criminal offence for non-consensual intimate images and deepfakes, the 48-hour platform removal duty enforced by the FTC from May 2026.
- Term NCII (non-consensual intimate images) NCII defined: non-consensual intimate images, real or synthetic, the laws covering them in the US, UK, EU, India and Australia, and the removal routes.
- Organisation StopNCII.org The hash-based service for adults' intimate images: who runs it, how hashing works, which platforms participate, who is eligible and what it cannot do.
- Organisation National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) The US clearinghouse for child exploitation reports: the CyberTipline, the Take It Down hashing service for minors' intimate images, and how to use them.