Short answer
It is not your fault, and you have options. Do not pay or negotiate with anyone threatening you. Keep evidence — links, usernames, screenshots of threats — but do not share the images. Adults can use StopNCII.org, which creates a digital fingerprint (hash) of the images on your own device so participating platforms can block them; for images taken when you were under 18, use Take It Down. Report the content on each platform, ask Google to remove it from Search — Google aims to review these requests within 48 hours — and report threats to the police.
First steps
- Stop contact with anyone threatening you, and do not pay — payment usually leads to more demands.
- Save evidence: links, usernames, profile pages, dates and screenshots of messages and threats.
- Tell someone you trust, and consider a local victim-support helpline.
- Report threats or extortion to the police.
Stop it spreading: StopNCII and Take It Down
StopNCII.org is a free tool run by the Revenge Porn Helpline (SWGfL). It generates a hash of your intimate images on your device; only the hash — never the image — is shared with participating companies, which use it to detect and remove copies. Take It Down, from the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, does the same for images taken of someone under 18, and can be used anonymously.
Report it on every platform
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Reddit and other major platforms prohibit non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated “deepfakes”. Use the in-app report on each post and account and choose the option for intimate images shared without consent. In the US, the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to remove reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid request.
Remove it from Google Search
Google removes explicit or intimate personal images from Search when you did not consent to them being made public — including fake or synthetic images. You answer some questions and give the links; Google aims to review within 48 hours, emails you the result and can also filter future copies. Removal from Search does not delete the site itself, so report to the host as well.
Getting help with removal
When copies spread across many sites, keeping track of every link, report and re-upload is exhausting. Our content removal and Google result removal work handles that discreetly through each platform’s official process. We never ask you to send us the images — links and screenshots of the pages are enough.
Frequently asked questions
Does StopNCII see my photos?
No. The hash is created on your own device, and only that digital fingerprint is shared with participating companies.
What if the images are AI-generated fakes?
Google’s policy and most platform rules cover fake and synthetic intimate imagery too, so you can report deepfakes the same way.
Should I pay the person threatening to share my images?
No. Stop contact, keep the evidence and report it to the platform and the police. Payment rarely ends the threats.
Can the images be removed everywhere?
Major platforms and search engines act on valid reports, and hashing blocks re-uploads on participating services. Sites outside their reach are harder, but persistent reporting to hosts often works.
Sources: StopNCII.org, Take It Down (NCMEC), Google Search Help — remove intimate personal images