Image self-protection guides
These guides show, step by step, how to find out whether your photos are being used without permission and what to do next. They apply only to your own images or images you are authorized to search.
| Title | Summary |
|---|---|
| How to find where your photos are used online7 min read | Start with free reverse image search (Google Lens, Bing Visual Search, TinEye) to find copies of a specific photo, then use a similarity search to look for other pictures that show your face. Only search for your own photos, or those of someone who has explicitly authorized you. No tool covers the whole internet, so treat every result as a lead to verify, not as proof. |
| How to remove photos posted without your consent8 min read | Save evidence first, then report the content through the platform's own tool, which is usually the fastest route. If you took the photo, a DMCA copyright notice can apply; in the EU and UK you can also ask the site operator to erase your personal data under GDPR Article 17. Each route has conditions, and none is guaranteed to succeed. |
| How to check dating profile photos (and whether yours are being misused)7 min read | To check whether a dating profile is real, reverse-search its photos, look for the classic scam patterns and insist on a live video call before trusting or paying anyone. To check whether your own photos are used in fake profiles, you can search with a photo of yourself; our tool requires your explicit consent and must not be used to identify matches. |
| What to do if a fake profile uses your photos7 min read | Collect evidence first, then report the fake profile through each platform's impersonation tool; Meta, TikTok and X all let you report even without an account of your own. Warn your contacts so nobody is scammed, and file a police report if money, threats or other crimes are involved. Platforms decide case by case, so keep following up. |
| How to report an Instagram account impersonating you6 min read | If you have an Instagram account, open the impersonator's profile, tap Options, then Report, Report Account and It's pretending to be someone else. If you do not have an account or cannot log in, use Instagram's impersonation form, where you may need to confirm your identity with an ID. Only the person being impersonated or an authorized representative can file this report. |
| A deepfake of your face is online: what to do, step by step7 min read | If you find a deepfake of your face, stay calm and act in this order: save evidence without sharing it further, report it on the platform where it appears, ask Google to remove it from search, and contact a support organization or the police if it is sexual, threatening or used to extort you. Several countries now have laws and platform duties that cover AI-generated imagery. This guide is general information, not legal advice. |
| Intimate images leaked or shared without consent: what to do7 min read | If your intimate images were shared without your consent, it is not your fault and you have options. Save evidence, then use StopNCII.org (adults) to block known images on participating platforms, report to each platform and to Google, and consider the police and a support line. If you were under 18 when the images were taken, use NCMEC's Take It Down instead. This is general information, not legal advice. |
| How to remove images of yourself from Google Search7 min read | There are two separate jobs: removing the image from the website that hosts it, and asking Google to stop showing it. Deleting at the source is the real fix. Google offers tools for personal information, explicit or intimate images, outdated results and legal requests, but removal from Search does not delete content from the original site. This is general information, not legal advice. |
| Scams using your stolen photos: how to respond and protect others7 min read | If scammers are using your photos on fake dating profiles, fake sellers or fake influencer accounts, you are not responsible for their fraud. Document the accounts, report them to each platform, report the scam to your national authority (FTC or IC3 in the US, Report Fraud, formerly Action Fraud, in the UK), warn friends, and secure your own accounts. Not legal advice. |