For years, victims of revenge porn and nonconsensual deepfake imagery had almost no reliable way to get that content taken down. State laws were all over the place, and tech platforms either dragged their feet or simply did not act. That is finally changing.
As of May 19, the Take It Down Act is now in full effect across the United States. It requires online platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images, real or AI-generated, within 48 hours of receiving a valid report. Platforms that fail to comply face civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
The act casts a wide net. Social media apps, gaming platforms, dating apps, and pretty much any service that hosts user-generated content falls under it. That means platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, Bumble, Roblox, and even Walmart have to play by these rules now.
How are the major tech platforms actually handling this?
Here’s where things get messy. Wired reached out to 14 major companies to ask how people could actually file a takedown request, and the responses were not reassuring. Several spokespersons said all the right things about supporting the legislation, but could not clearly explain how someone would actually go about reporting content.
Some platforms were not even planning to have their reporting forms ready until the day the law kicked in, despite having a full year to prepare. According to the report, X, which was already under fire earlier this year after Grok churned out thousands of nonconsensual images of women, did not bother responding at all.
Experts warn that the reporting process is one of the most overlooked parts of the law. Many people who need to file such requests are teenagers who are unfamiliar with their rights or uncomfortable navigating legal language.
Many platforms do not even test their reporting forms with real users before pushing them live. There is also a very real risk that if your submission is missing even one required detail, a platform could use that as an excuse to delay or avoid the request entirely.
The bigger frustration is that these platforms often rely on rigid reporting forms with little room for context. Combined with a general lack of transparency, many users worry that a report will go nowhere if their situation does not fit neatly into the platform’s existing violation categories.
How does a takedown request actually work?
Getting nonconsensual intimate images removed is supposed to be straightforward; however, not every platform makes it easy. Once a platform receives a valid request, it has 48 hours to decide whether it is legitimate. If it does, the platform has to remove the reported content and hunt down any identical copies living elsewhere on the platform.
A number of major platforms use an industry tool called StopNCII to help with this. It works by using matching algorithms to identify abusive images and flag duplicates across all participating platforms. Reddit, TikTok, Snap, Microsoft Bing, and Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, are all part of it. You can also open a case directly on the StopNCII website to get your content added to what the tool is already scanning for.
For minors, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers a dedicated one-step service to help remove explicit images. The FTC also launched a dedicated website where you can report platforms that fail to remove content.
How to report nonconsensual intimate imagery on major platforms?
Here’s a quick guide on how to remove nonconsensual intimate images from major platforms, with direct reporting links for each one.
- Google and YouTube: Google has a dedicated takedown request form where you can submit up to ten links at a time. There is also a separate form specifically for YouTube content.
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads): Meta says it has been compliant for several months. You can head to Meta’s help page for directions on submitting removal requests across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Meta AI.
- TikTok: There is a dedicated form that ties into the in-app reporting tool, which you can access through the Share button on any post.
- Bumble: You can fill this form in its help center. The company says all reports are reviewed promptly.
- Reddit: Logged-in users can report individual posts directly by tapping on the Report button on the post and selecting “Non-consensual intimate media.”
- Snap: Snapchat has a general reporting form where you can flag nonconsensual or threatened leaks of intimate imagery, including AI-generated content.
- Roblox: You can submit removal requests through the ‘Report Abuse’ menu item or through a form in its help center.
- Epic Games: Head to Epic’s illegal content reporting form and select “Cyber violence” or “Cyber violence against women,” then pick the relevant nonconsensual imagery option from there.
- LinkedIn: Anyone, even people without an account, can submit a removal request through LinkedIn’s Help Center.
- Walmart: Sellers on Walmart’s platform can upload images, which makes it subject to the Take It Down act. A dedicated removal request form is available in its help center.
The Take It Down Act is a real step forward, but a law is only as effective as the systems built to enforce it. Until platforms treat these reporting tools as a priority rather than a compliance checkbox, the burden still falls heavily on the people who have already been through enough.
