Intimate images leaked or shared without consent: what to do

Updated on October 4, 2026 · 7 min read

Quick answer

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.

On this page

If someone has shared, posted or threatened to share private images of you, please know first of all that the responsibility lies with the person who did it, not with you. Many people have been through this and recovered, and there are free services whose entire job is to help. You do not need to handle everything at once.

Step 1: Save evidence without spreading the images#

Take screenshots of the posts, accounts, messages and threats, including URLs, usernames, dates and times.
Keep a list of every link and where you found it.
Do not delete conversations with the person responsible; they can be evidence.
If you are under 18 in any of the images, or the images show someone under 18, do not save or forward them. Report to the police instead.

Step 2: Use StopNCII.org (adults 18+)#

StopNCII.org is a free tool run by the charity SWGfL's Revenge Porn Helpline. You pick the images on your own device and the tool creates a hash, a kind of digital fingerprint. Only the hash is shared, never the image. Participating platforms use hashes to detect matching images and review them for removal. You get a case number to follow progress and can withdraw the case at any time.

If you were under 18 when the images were taken, use Take It Down, run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It also uses hashing and does not upload your image to anyone. For images taken at 18 or older, it points people to StopNCII.org.

Step 3: Report to each platform#

Use the report tool on each site or app and choose the option for non-consensual intimate imagery (sometimes labelled "nudity or sexual activity", then "shared without consent"). Include the links from your list. Keep a note of when you reported.

In the United States, the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to provide a removal process for non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated ones, and to remove the content and known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request. If a platform fails to do so, you can report it to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Step 4: Ask Google to remove it from search#

Find the image in Google Search
Click it, choose "More", then "Remove result".
Pick the reason
Choose "It shows a sexual image of me" and confirm the image does not show someone under 18.
Add images and protections
You can add several images, enter your name, and turn on filtering of duplicates and related results in future searches.
Track the request
Updates appear in Google's "Results about you" hub and by email. Afterward Google links to organizations offering legal and emotional support.

Google removal affects search results only. The content can stay on the site that hosts it, so keep reporting there too. More detail in our guide to removing images from Google Search.

Step 5: Consider the police and legal help#

Sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent is a crime in many places, including under UK online safety law. Reporting is your choice. If you decide to, bring your evidence list. You can ask for a support person to come with you. A lawyer, legal aid clinic or the helplines below can explain civil options such as takedown demands or protective orders.

Step 6: Reach out for support#

UK adults: the Revenge Porn Helpline offers confidential advice, help with removal and reporting (0345 6000 459, Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 16:00, email-only on Fridays; help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk). It does not support people under 18 or outside the UK.
US: the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative crisis helpline, 844-878-2274, free, 24/7, for victims of non-consensual image sharing, recorded sexual assault or sextortion.
Anywhere: a person you trust, or a counselor. Shame and anxiety are common and they do not mean you did anything wrong.

The limited, optional role of our search tool#

Our tool is not the first step and you do not need it. If you want to learn where your own face photos appear online, such as social profiles or pages that reuse them, you can run a self-protection search: you see the number of matches first, nothing is charged if there are none, and the full report unlocks with 1 credit (packs from $9.90 / €9.90). You upload your own photo and email, your browser does a first analysis, a deeper server search takes a few minutes, and you get a summary on screen and by email. We do not recommend uploading intimate images; use StopNCII.org for those, since it keeps them on your device. Only the person pictured may use the tool, and consent is required because faces are biometric data. Never upload images of minors. It cannot find everything and it does not replace the steps above.

Want to check where your face photos appear online? You can start a search to see how many matches exist.

New search

Frequently asked questions

Does StopNCII.org remove the images everywhere?

No. It helps participating platforms detect and block matching images. StopNCII itself says it cannot remove images from the whole internet, so you should still report to other sites directly.

Do I have to give my intimate images to StopNCII?

No. The hash is created on your own device, and only that digital fingerprint is shared. The images are not uploaded to StopNCII.

What if I was under 18 when the images were taken?

Use NCMEC's Take It Down service and contact the police. Do not share the images with anyone else, and never upload them to any other tool.

What if the person is threatening to share the images?

Do not pay and do not send more. Save the messages, stop replying if you feel unsafe, and report it to the police and the platform. A helpline can talk through next steps with you confidentially.

Will the images ever fully disappear?

Nobody can promise that. Quick action, hashing, platform reports and Google removal can reduce how widely the images appear, and many people succeed in getting them taken down. Support services can help you keep going.

Sources

A deepfake of your face is online: what to do, step by stepIf 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.
How to remove images of yourself from Google SearchThere 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.
How to remove photos posted without your consentSave 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 find where your photos are used onlineStart 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.
Image self-protection guidesThese 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.
Image search tools comparedThese comparisons help you choose an image search tool to protect your own photos. We look at purpose, privacy handling, pricing and limits. No tool finds everything, and we say so in every comparison.