Glossary · Safety
NCII (non-consensual intimate images)
NCII stands for non-consensual intimate images: sexual or intimate photos or videos of a person shared without their consent, whether the images are real, altered or AI-generated. The term replaced "revenge porn" in law and policy because motive is irrelevant. Most jurisdictions now criminalise sharing NCII, and platforms are required or pressured to remove it quickly.
Updated November 6, 2026 · 2 min read
What counts as NCII?
An image showing a person nude, partially nude or in a sexual act, shared or threatened to be shared without their consent. Laws increasingly include images altered or generated to look like a real person, so a deepfake made from a clothed photo is NCII in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and a growing list of other jurisdictions. Consent to take an image is not consent to share it.
Which laws apply?
| Jurisdiction | Law | Note |
|---|---|---|
| United States (federal) | Take It Down Act | Criminalises publication; 48-hour platform removal duty enforced by the FTC from May 2026 |
| United States (states) | State statutes in nearly every state | Vary in scope; many now cover synthetic images |
| United Kingdom | Online Safety Act and Sexual Offences Act amendments | Sharing and threatening to share are offences; deepfake creation offence added |
| European Union | Directive on combating violence against women (2024) | Member states must criminalise NCII and deepfake NCII by 2027 |
| India | IT Act s. 66E and 67, IPC/BNS provisions | Report via cybercrime.gov.in |
| Australia | Online Safety Act 2021 | eSafety Commissioner can order removal within 24 hours |
How is removal different from copyright removal?
A DMCA takedown needs ownership of the image; NCII routes need only that you are the person shown. That is why platforms run separate NCII report forms and why hash-matching services exist: a perceptual hash of the image lets platforms block re-uploads without ever holding the image.
Where does face search come in?
A face search can show whether intimate images have reached public pages, which helps a victim find what to report. It cannot see private channels, group chats or members-only sites, where much NCII circulates, so a clean result does not mean the images are not being shared. The NCII removal directory lists the routes.
Questions
Is a deepfake of me NCII?
In the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and increasingly elsewhere, yes. The law looks at whether it depicts you intimately without consent, not at how it was made.
Do I need to own the image to get it removed?
No. NCII routes depend on being the person depicted, unlike copyright routes.
Sources
- 1.FTC, FTC Begins Enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act (checked May 19, 2026)
- 2.StopNCII.org (checked November 6, 2026)
- 3.Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence (checked May 14, 2024)
Entry reviewed November 6, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.
Related entries
- 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.
- Law UK Online Safety Act 2023 and intimate image offences UK Online Safety Act 2023: Ofcom's platform duties, intimate image offences in force since January 2024, the 2026 deepfake creation offence, and misused photos.
- Directory Removing intimate images shared without consent, by country Intimate image removal routes in 11 countries: the law, where to report, the platform deadline and the helpline, from the US and UK to India and Brazil.
- 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.
- Term Sextortion Sextortion defined: blackmail with intimate images, who is targeted, the first steps that stop it, the laws and removal routes, and the limits of a face search.
Cite this entry
FaceSearch Wiki editors. "NCII (non-consensual intimate images)". FaceSearch Wiki, updated November 6, 2026. https://facesearch.wiki/glossary/ncii/