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Filing online takedowns for intimate images

Last updated: 11 July 2021

This is a guide to taking down intimate images or videos that have been shared online without consent. It also provides information on what you can do to limit access to these materials if they cannot be taken down.

You should know that takedowns are not always successful, as the decision is made by the website/platform. It is also difficult to remove content from known hotspots such as Telegram group chats and SammyBoy Forum.

Performing takedown requests can be a long and distressing process. If you choose to do this, consider setting a limit to the time you spend on it. Also ask your friends for help, so that you don’t have to deal with this alone.

Record locations

Compile a list of URLs

Identify and compile a list of locations where your images are being shared.

  • Copy and paste the URL of the exact location where your images are being shared into a word document or excel sheet.
  • Keep this list of URLs secure.
  • Do not delete any URLs from this list, even if your takedown request has been successful, because you might still need it in the future.
Preserve evidence
  • Take screenshots of each webpage or download the webpage as a PDF document.
  • This website provides instructions for taking screenshots on different types of devices and tells you where they will be saved.
  • Store these screenshots or PDF documents safely.

For detailed advice, see our guide to preserving evidence

Report directly to trusted platforms

Note: In this section, you will be reporting your images to individual websites. After you have submitted a report or gotten in touch with each site, remember to submit a request to remove the webpage from search engine results ↓

Report to common platforms

From your list of websites, begin with trusted, mainstream platforms like Facebook or OKCupid. Most mainstream platforms have clear policies against the distribution of intimate images and will have a dedicated reporting tool that you can use to report your intimate images and request for their removal. These platforms will generally explain how they will keep the data you submit safe from potential misuse.

We have written specific guides for commonly-used platforms that have these tools, which you can find below (arranged alphabetically, from A-Z):

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel’s Terms of Service prohibits users from posting, uploading or transmitting any User Content that contains nudity, and that violates any applicable law or regulation.

To report a user (‘Bagel’) in Discover:

  • For iOS: click on the flag account on their profile
  • For Android: submit a report online You will be asked to provide
    • A valid email address
    • Subject > e.g. “Reporting the non-consensual sharing of intimate images”
    • Description > Provide details of the problem you are facing
    • Attachment > Attach any screenshots you have

Other resources:

Discord

Discord takes a zero-tolerance approach to anyone threatening other people with harm, sharing sexually explicit content of others without their consent, sharing content that glorifies or promotes self-harm, and illegal activities such as sharing child sexual abuse material.

If you are a Discord user and the violation happened on a server

  • Reach out to the server’s moderators, who may be able to respond immediately
  • Block any users you don’t want to interact with anymore
    • Click the user’s username to bring up their profile
    • Click the three dots (⋯) in the top right to pull up a menu that will allow you to block the users

If this does not work, or you are not a Discord user, you can file a report using an online reporting form .

  • What can we help you with? > Trust and Safety
  • Enter a valid email address
  • How can we help? > Report abuse or harassment
  • Subject > Reporting the non-consensual sharing of intimate images
  • Description > You can type something like “My intimate images have been shared on [channel] without my consent. This is against Discord’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. I would appreciate Discord’s prompt action. Thank you.”
    • Include the Message Link in your description
      • On Desktop, you can get the Message Link by right-clicking the message, then Copy Message Link
      • On Android mobile, tap and hold the message > tap Share then Copy to Clipboard
      • On iOS, tap and hold the message > Copy Message Link
      • Paste the link into your report.
  • Attach any screenshots that you have
  • Click Submit

Other resources:

Facebook

Facebook has a strict policy against the display of nudity or sexual activity. This also applies to digitally created content (e.g. photoshopped images or videos), unless the content was posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.

Facebook only provides options for reporting from within their app/site, i.e. by using a Facebook account. If you do not have an account, you can make a new one or ask a friend to report this content for you.

To report:

  • From within the Facebook app/site, click ⋯ (usually located in the top-right corner of the photo, post or profile)
  • Click Find Support or Report
  • For Please select a problem > Nudity then Sharing Private Images
  • Click Next
  • For Before you report this post, does it go against our Community Standards on nudity or sexual activity? > Yes, I’d like to continue filing this report
  • Click Next to submit your report.

Facebook will then review your report, and inform you of the outcome via your Support Inbox. To find your Support Inbox:

  • On desktop/web browser: click in the top-right corner of your screen > Help & Support > Support Inbox > Reports about others
  • On Android devices: click in the top-right corner of your screen > scroll to the bottom to find Support Inbox > Reports about others
  • On iOS devices: click or your profile image in the bottom-right corner of your screen > scroll to the bottom to find Help & Support > Support Inbox > Reports about others

In most cases, if Facebook thinks that the image violates their Community Standards , Facebook will also disable the account of the person who shared the image. They will also try to prevent it from being re-shared by using a photo-matching technology to ‘remember’ this image.

You may also find these useful:

Flickr

Flickr has a zero tolerance policy towards distributing sexually graphic images of another person without that person’s consent (Non-Consensual Pornography).

You can report to Flickr using an online form. However, you need a Flickr account to do so.

To set up a Flickr account, go to Flickr > click Sign Up located in the top-right corner. Follow the instructions in the sign-up form.

To report to Flickr

  • On desktop, go to Flickr’s Contact Form
  • Enter your name and a valid email address
  • Enter your Flickr username and your Flickr account URL
  • What can we help you with today > click Trust & Safety
  • Issue > click Intimate content posted without my consent
  • Subject > type Request to remove intimate content posted without my consent
  • Message > provide details about what happened, and say that you are requesting for the prompt removal of your intimate images.
  • Attach any screenshots that you have, and which would help Flickr in taking the removal action.
  • Click Send to submit your request.

Flickr may also ask you for the following information to take action:

  • The URL (link) where the content is posted
  • A legible copy of your photo ID (passport, driver’s license, or state issued ID)
    • This is for identity verification purposes.
    • Flickr says that they will immediately delete copies of your photo ID after they have verified your ID. They will not retain your documents nor sell or share the info with others.

Other resources

Google (e.g. Blogger, Google Drive) – NOT Google Search

NOTE: For instructions on Google Search Removal, see a later step in this guide.

You can submit a request to Google to restrict the sharing of intimate images on the following Google products:

  • Blogger
  • OneDrive
  • Google+
  • Groups
  • Photos
  • Sites

Take note that Google will only take requests that fit the following:

  • You are identifiable in the imagery or via the context in which it is displayed (for example, your face is visible or your name is mentioned)
  • The imagery is a private nude, sexually explicit, or non-explicit intimate and sexual image or video
  • The imagery was made publicly available without your consent

To report, go to this form: Report inappropriate images or videos posted without your consent

  • Google will ask you to provide the following personal details
    • Your full name (or the full name of the person who appears in the intimate image)
    • Your country
    • Your name and relationship to the person in the intimate image, if they have authorised you to act on behalf of them
    • An email address that you can be contacted at
    • An identity document to prove your identity
    • An electronic signature (full name, typed)
  • Google will then ask you for details about the places where your intimate images can be found. This includes
    • The Google product (e.g. type Blogger if your images were on a site that ends with “.blogspot.com”)
    • The URL of the page that your intimate image appears on, as well as the URL of your intimate images
Grindr

Grindr prohibits impersonation or catfishing. However, Grindr does not have a specific policy dealing with the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. They only prohibit users from displaying nudity or explicit sexual content in their public profiles. Users can still send such content to one another privately, if they have the consent of the recipient.

However, you should still try to report such behaviours if they are happening to you. When you submit a report, you will be able to provide details of what happened to Grindr. If you are reporting non-consensually shared intimate images, please state in your report that this is against Singapore’s laws.

For instructions on how to report, please use this Guide with instructional pictures that Grindr has created.

Other resources

Instagram

Instagram has a strict policy against the display of nudity or sexual activity, and defaults to removing sexual imagery on the platform. This also applies to digitally created content (e.g. photoshopped images or videos), unless the content was posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.

Instagram users: Report within the Instagram app

To report a post:

  • Click ⋯ (for iOS devices) or ⋮ (for Android devices) at the top-right corner of the post
  • Click Report
  • Click It’s inappropriate > Nudity or sexual activity as the reason > Sharing private images
  • Click Submit Report

Instagram will then review your report and take action if they think the post violates their Community Standards . You can check the status of your reports from within the app.

  • On Android phones: Navigate to your profile. Then click in the top-right corner of your screen > Settings > Help > Support requests > Reports
  • On iOS phones: Navigate to your profile. Then click in the top-right corner of your screen > Settings > Help > Support requests > Reports
Non-Instagram users: Report using an online form

Go here: Report Violations of our Community Guidelines

For each of the following questions, select the corresponding option

  • Do you have an Instagram Account? > No
  • Where does the violation that you're reporting appear? > select the appropriate option, e.g. Photo or Video if you are reporting a photo or video
  • How is this [content/user] violating our guidelines > Nudity or pornography

Instagram will then ask you to provide the following details:

  • Your email address
  • The username of the person who posted the content that you’re reporting
  • Full name of the person who posted the content as listed on their account (optional)
  • Link(s) to the specific photo(s), violating profile(s), stories or comment(s) you’re reporting
  • Contact information of the person if you know them in real life.
  • Any other additional information.

Click Send to submit the report.

Microsoft (OneDrive, Xbox, etc.)

You can submit a request to remove non-consensually shared intimate images on Microsoft services, including OneDrive and Xbox.

Things to Note

  • You need to submit a form for each Microsoft service. For instance, if your images appear on Bing and Microsoft OneDrive, you have to submit a form for Bing, and another form for Microsoft OneDrive.
  • You can let Microsoft know that your reports are related by providing the reference number of the first report you submitted
  • The information you submit may be shared with others, including the publisher of any webpage that Microsoft agrees to block.
  • Microsoft can only remove content from Microsoft services. You need to work with other companies, including the owners of any website pages to remove pages from their services. Otherwise, the images will still be accessible on the Internet.

To report, go to the Microsoft non-consensual pornography reporting form

You will need to provide:

  • Your name, your signature (full name, typed) and an email address that you can be contacted at.
  • The URLs of the places where your images can be found
  • If you have submitted an earlier report, you can provide the reference number of this report.

For each of the following questions in the form, select the corresponding option (where applicable):

  • Where did you find the content? > OneDrive (or the Microsoft service you found your images on)
  • URLs you are requesting be removed > enter the URLs of all the places with your images and make sure to separate each URL with a semicolon (;)
  • Have you ever agreed to the distribution of the photo or video? > No
  • Does other information about you appear with the photo or video and, if so, what? > select the option that applies, such as My name or other personal information if this was shared with your images
OkCupid

Sexually explicit photos and nudity, unwanted sexually explicit messages, and impersonation are against OKCupid’s Community Guidelines You can report users who violate these guidelines.

For instructions on reporting a profile, photo or message to OkCupid, please use this guide with instructional gifs

Things to Note:

  • You will need an OkCupid Account to make a report
  • Reports are confidential. OkCupid will not disclose your identity or details of the report to the user whom you are filing a report about.
  • Reporting a photo will only result in the photo itself being removed if it breaks the rules. If you want to report something highly offensive, please report the profile itself.
Reddit

Reddit has an Involuntary Pornography policy that prohibits the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Reports to Reddit are anonymous.

Reddit users: Report within Reddit or by using Reddit's reporting portal

If you have a Reddit account, you can report within Reddit or by using Reddit’s reporting portal

To make a report within Reddit on desktop/web:

  • Click on the post to open it up
  • Click Report located in the bar below the post > Involuntary Pornography
  • For Who is the involuntary pornography of? > You
  • Click Submit

To make a report within Reddit on mobile:

  • Click ⋯ in the top-right corner of your screen > Report
  • Click Other Issues > It’s Involuntary Pornography > I appear in the image
  • Click Submit
Non-Reddit users: Report using an online reporting form

Go here: Submit a Request

  • What do you need assistance with? > Report Content Policy Violation
  • Provide a valid email address that you can be contacted at
  • For Subject of Inquiry > type “Reporting Violation of Involuntary Pornography Policy”
  • For Details of Inquiry > type “I would like to report violations of Reddit’s Involuntary Pornography. My intimate images have been shared without my consent at the following places: [provide Reddit links to the content]”
  • For Policy Violation > select Involuntary Pornography
  • Click Submit

(Note: Reddit’s responses to this form will be slower as compared to filing a report in-app or using their reporting portal.)

Other Questions about Reddit's Reporting Process

Can I report a subreddit?

No. Reddit wants you to report individual Reddit posts or comments . This is because Reddit thinks that reporting an entire subreddit does not give them enough information to identify and locate the specific posts, comments, or other infringing content.

Can I report a user?

No. Reddit wants you to report individual Reddit posts or comments . This is because Reddit thinks that reporting the post, comment or message would allow them to accurately identify the issue you’re concerned with. Further, then you report content, the user who posted the content, the community it is from, and other users who may have interacted with it will all be part of the report that’s under review.

If you have other questions about Reddit’s Reporting Process, you may find their Reporting FAQ useful.

Snapchat

Snapchat’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service have a zero tolerance policy for harassment of any kind.

To report an account

  • Press and hold on that Snapchatter’s name
  • Tap the ⋮ icon in top corner (or tap “More”)
  • Tap Report

To report a Snap or Story

  • Press and hold on it
  • Tap Report Snap (or tap on the flag icon when it appears)

You can report different types of content on Snapchat by pressing and holding in this way. You can report:

  • Direct Snaps
  • My Stories
  • Custom Stories
  • Public user Stories
  • Snaps on the Snap Map
  • Snaps on Spotlight

If you don’t have a Snapchat account or are unable to report a safety concern in-app, you can report any issue on the Snapchat Support site

  • Select Report a safety concern and fill in the questions that follow.
  • If the action steps they give do not fit your situation, choose ‘yes’ when the form asks ‘Need help with something else?’ and you can submit a report via the online form.
Telegram

Telegram will only act against publicly available content, such as sticker sets, channels and bots. They will not act against content that is private; this includes all Telegram chats and group chats which are private among their participants.

Telegram Content Can you report / Will Telegram act?
Telegram chat with one other person No
Telegram group chat with 2 or more persons No
Telegram channel Yes
Telegram sticker set Yes
Telegram bot Yes
To report a sticker set or a bot

Send an email to Telegram:

  • Email abuse@telegram.org if the content is clearly abusive;
  • Email dmca@telegram.org if the content is not explicitly abusive.

In your report, make sure to include a link or @username to the content you are reporting. Telegram says they cannot locate entities based on screenshots.

To find the link to a sticker pack:

  • On an Android phone:
    • Double-tap on a sticker, the way you would to add a pack
    • Click the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the sticker pack pop-up
    • Click Copy Link
    • Paste the copied link in a message to yourself, or in your notes app.
  • On an iPhone:
    • Click on a sticker and add the pack
    • Go to Settings > Stickers
    • Under Sticker Sets click on the sticker pack that you have just added
    • Click Share and then click Copy Link
    • Paste the copied link in a message to yourself, or in your notes appeal
To report a channel within the Telegram app

On an Android phone:

  • Open the channel
  • Tap the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner
  • Tap Report

On an iPhone:

  • Open the channel
  • Tap the picture in the top right corner, which opens the profile
  • Tap Report (the button is right above Leave Channel)
TikTok

TikTok prohibits nudity and sexually explicit content, unless they are for educational, documentary, scientific or artistic purposes.

You can report specific videos, livestream, users, or comments to TikTok . But you can only do so within the app itself.

To report a LIVE video
  • Go to the LIVE video.
  • Tap Share.
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a LIVE comment
  • Go to the LIVE video.
  • Long-press the comment that you want to report.
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a sound
  • Go to the sound.
  • Tap Share
  • Select Report sound.
  • Submit your report.
To report a hashtag
  • Tap the hashtag you want to report.
  • Tap Share
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a video
  • Go to the video.
  • Tap Share
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a comment
  • Long press the comment that you want to report.
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a direct message
  • Go to the direct message.
  • Tap ⋯ to open your settings.
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report a user
  • Go to the user’s profile.
  • Tap ⋯
  • Select Report and follow the instructions provided.
To report another issue
  • Go to Me.
  • Tap ⋯, located on the top right corner.
  • Tap Report a problem.
  • Select a report topic.
  • Submit your feedback and provide a contact email.

After you’ve submitted your report, TikTok’s moderation team will review it and take appropriate action.

Tinder

Nudity and sexually explicit content, as well as impersonation are against Tinder’s Community Guidelines

To report within the Tinder app

  • While swiping, open the user’s profile > scroll down > tap Report
  • From your match list, select the user to open the message screen > tap the user’s photo to open their profile > scroll down > tap Report

You can also report using an online reporting form

  • What can we help with? > I have a safety or privacy concern
  • What's your concern? > select the option that applies to your situation, e.g. Someone is impersonating me if someone has created a profile pretending to be you, with your intimate images

Tinder will then ask you for a valid email address and further details about your situation. Provide them with any screenshots you have of the offending profile to help them review your case.

Other resources

Tumblr

Adult content is against Tumblr’s Community Guidelines . This includes photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations—that depict sex acts.

You can report within Tumblr by clicking/tapping on ⋯ or by completing Tumblr’s online reporting form

To report an entire blog
  • Navigate to the blog.
    • You can do this by entering the blog’s url into your web browser, or by clicking on the blog’s username from the dashboard.
    • You can also find a blog by searching for the blog’s username using Tumblr’s search feature
  • Tap on the little human icon (or click on ⋯ if you’re on desktop/web)
  • Click Report
To report non-consensually shared intimate images
  • Go to Tumblr’s online reporting form
  • What kind of violation is it > Privacy Violation
  • Is it your privacy that's being violated? > Yes (or No, if you’re helping someone out)
  • What kind of content are you reporting > My explicit private images (or Their explicit private images)

You will then have to provide:

  • Direct link to the content
  • An email address

If you’re reporting on behalf of someone else, you will also have to provide some explanation. Here’s something you can say:

  • “This is an intimate image of my friend that is being shared without their consent. This is against Tumblr’s Community Guideline. I am authorised by my friend to act on their behalf. We would appreciate prompt removal of the content, any associated thumbnails, and notification when this has been done. Thank you.”
To report unwanted sexualisation
  • What kind of violation is it > Privacy Violation
  • Is it your privacy that's being violated? > Yes (or No, if you’re helping someone out)
  • What kind of content are you reporting? > Unwanted Sexualisation

You will then have to provide:

  • Direct link to the content
  • An email address
  • A short explanation of what’s happening. Here’s something you can say:
    • “This content is sexualising me/my friend without my consent. They are doing so by [Describe briefly what happened, e.g. sharing my image with sexual comments/sharing an image of me that has been grossly manipulated sexually]. This is against Tumblr’s Community Guidelines. I/We would appreciate prompt removal of the content, any associated thumbnails, and notification when this has been done. Thank you.”

After you submit your report, Tumblr may contact you at the email address you provided with a few extra questions. They will then review the reported content in the order that they received it and take the appropriate action.

If your report was successful, Tumblr will send you a confirmation notification.

Note: Not all reports are successful, i.e. Tumblr may decide that the reported content does not violate the Community Guidelines and hence choose not to remove it. If that happens, Tumblr will only remove the content from being viewable by you, but it will still remain on the site. Unfortunately, it is not possible for those making reports to appeal against reporting decision made by Tumblr.

If you need more information, you may find the following resources from Tumblr’s Help Centre useful: Reporting Offensive Content and Adult Content

Twitter

It is against Twitter’s Non-consensual nudity policy to post or share intimate photos or videos of someone that were produced or distributed without their consent.

NOTE: Twitter only acts against material that has been directly uploaded on their platform. For instance, Twitter will act on your behalf if someone has tweeted your intimate image, and it is embedded within the Tweet itself. However, they will most likely not take action if a user tweets a link to an image of you on an external website (e.g. Tumblr) without tweeting the image itself.

If you have a Twitter account, report from within Twitter
  • Click ⋯ in the top-right corner of the post
  • Select Report Tweet
  • What is going on with this Tweet? > It displays a sensitive photo or video
  • What kind of content does the media contain? > An unauthorised photo or video
  • What is your concern with this photo or video? > It includes unauthorised, intimate content of me or someone else
  • This private information belongs to > Me or someone I represent
  • You can then select up to 5 Tweets from the same user to report for review.
  • Type your signature (full name, typed)
  • Click Submit report to Twitter
If you do NOT have a Twitter account, report with Twitter's Private Information report form

Go here: Private Information report form

For each of the following questions, select the corresponding response:

  • What issue are you having? > Private information is being posted
  • This information being shared on Twitter belongs to > Me
  • Your email address > Enter a valid email address that Twitter can contact you at
  • Signature > type your full name
  • Someone on Twitter is posting private information that includes > An unauthorised photo or video (and any other option that applies to your situation)
  • Username of the account you are reporting > A Twitter user’s username looks like “@username”.
  • Please share the content that might be violating our rules > copy and paste the URLs of the tweets containing your intimate images. If you have trouble finding a Tweet’s URL, use this Guide by Twitter.
  • Provide further details to help Twitter with their review. This is optional, but you can write something simple like: “This account has been sharing intimate images of myself that have been distributed without my consent. This is against Twitter’s non-consensual nudity policy and I would appreciate Twitter’s prompt action.”
    • Include any additional relevant information, e.g. if that account has been repeatedly uploading the same content, or if you know that the same perpetrator(s) have been creating multiple accounts to share this information.
  • Please review the following information and confirm where applicable:
    • Do not check It’s okay to include the content being reported in updates sent to me in the future if you do not want to have to see the offending tweets when Twitter updates you about your reports
    • Check By checking this box, I confirm that this report regards the posting of private personal information of myself or someone I am authorized to represent.
    • Check By checking this box, I confirm that the information provided in this form is accurate.
  • Click Submit to submit your report to Twitter.

While you wait for Twitter to respond to your report, you may wish to adjust your privacy settings to protect yourself against unwanted interactions and users.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp does not have a specific policy tackling the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. However, such acts should be against their Terms of Service

To report a user or groupchat

  • Open the chats
  • Tap on the contact or group name to open their profile information
  • Scroll to the bottom and tap Report contact or Report group

Once reported, WhatsApp receives the most recent messages sent to you by a reported user or group, as well as information on your recent interactions with the reported user.

You can also report problematic content or persistent issues to WhatsApp. To do so:

  • On Android: Go to WhatsApp > More options > Settings > Help > Contact us
  • On iPhone: Go to WhatsApp > Settings > Help > Contact Us

Please provide as much information as possible. WhatsApp will not be able to view the contents of the messages that have been sent between you and the other party when you report issues to them in this manner, so please include screenshots and any available contact information in your report.

Other resources:

YouTube

Pornography for the purpose of sexual gratification is not allowed on YouTube and is against their Community Guidelines

To report a video,

  • Sign into YouTube
  • On your computer, click the three dots (⋯) below and on the right of the video player. On mobile, tap the three dots (⋯) at the top of the video.
  • Click or tap Report
  • Choose Sexual Content as your reason for reporting
  • If you are reporting on your computer, you can also provide more information to help the review team understand why YouTube will also prompt you to:
    • Indicate the timestamp. This is useful if the content you are reporting only appears at a portion of the video.
    • Provide additional details (up to 500 characters). This is useful if you want to explain to the reviewing team why the content should be removed.

If you are uniquely identifiable within the video, you can also report the user (or channel) for privacy infringement. To do so:

  • Sign in to YouTube
  • Go to the channel page you want to report.
  • Click About.
  • Click the Report Flag (it is located under ‘Stats’)
  • Click Report user
  • Click Privacy. This will prompt the browser to open a new tab, which brings you to the start of YouTube’s Privacy Complaint Process.

If you are looking to report something on YouTube that is not a video or a channel, use this Guide to reporting other types of YouTube content . It contains instructions for reporting playlists, thumbnails, links, comments, and live chat messages.

After you’ve submitted your report, YouTube will review your report and remove the content if they think that it violates their Community Guidelines.

If the site/platform that your intimate images are on isn’t on the above list, look on the site to see if there’s a tool that allows you to report non-consensual pornography or revenge porn. You can also check the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s eSafety Guide , which collates reporting portals for more websites, games, and platforms.

Consider reporting to adult sites

Some adult websites have portals to report content for removal.

Try searching for “[Name of Adult Site] ‘Content Removal’”. If nothing shows up, try entering “[Name of Adult Site] DMCA” or “[Name of Adult Site] Copyright Infringement].

You can also check these two pages, which list popular adult sites that usually respond to requests:

Exercise caution: check links before clicking on them. The links should look something like “www.[nameofadultsite].com/[key phrase]” – where key phrase can be content-removal, contact, take down or another similar phrase.

If it appears that the site does respond to requests, follow the instructions below for safely contacting them.

If the adult site appears malicious – it directly promotes non-consensual content or does not moderate content at all – it is not advisable to make any contact. See more on malicious sites below.

Contact dubious sites safely

Determine whether the site is malicious

Do not contact malicious sites. This may expose you to further harm. To check whether a site is malicious:

Check the site’s terms of service

  • Trustworthy sites will have policies against abusive behaviour.
  • Look for a link to the site’s policies/ terms of services/ community guidelines, usually found at the top or bottom of the page.
  • Check for any rules that address nudity, harassment, non-consensual sharing of images, or image-based abuse.
  • If they have these policies, see if they have an email address or form and use this to report your content.
  • If there are no policies against this kind of abusive behaviour, this is a sign that it is not advisable to contact the site or service.

Look for abusive content on their site

  • Some sites are set up purely to abuse people through sharing non-consensual content.
  • If you look at the content of the site and see that many harassing or abusive comments are left unchecked, this is a sign that the site is malicious.
  • It is not advisable to contact any site that deliberately spreads non-consensual content. They may extort you for payments, harass you via email, or post your message and contact details on the site to doxx you.
Keep yourself safe

If the site/platform seems trustworthy enough to contact, you should still take several safety measures in doing so.

Use a private browsing mode

  • When browsing these sites and submitting these requests, use a private browsing mode on your device, e.g. ‘Incognito Mode’.

Use a non-identifiable email address

  • Do not use your regular email account to email these sites, especially if your email address has your name in it.
  • It is advisable to create an email specifically for these takedown requests that does not include your name and cannot be connected to you (i.e. you haven’t used it elsewhere online).
  • If you don’t want to create a new email, at least use a side email account, or one you don’t mind closing. This is in case the site is unfriendly or posts your email to expose you to further harassment.

Use a VPN

  • When you send an email, your Internet Protocol (IP) address is attached in the source of the email. This gives the recipient a lot of information, including your approximate location, type of Internet access, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
  • Using a VPN will hide your IP address and attach a different one to the email.
Contact the site

Look for a contact email address

  • Check the top/bottom of the page for a link to support, contact us, report inappropriate content, or content removal. This should lead to an email address or a contact form.
  • If you cannot find a contact us or similar link on the website, do a Whois Domain lookup.
    • Go to https://www.whois.com/whois/
    • In Enter Domain Name or IP Address, type the website URL
    • You can find the webmaster’s contact details in Registrant Contact or Administrative Contact

Compose a concise and neutral message

  • Do not provide more detail than necessary.
  • Keep the tone of your email polite and the message concise.
  • Don’t provide any background information about yourself or the context of these images/videos. There have been cases where abusive sites publish the requests they receive as a way to encourage further harassment of their victims.
  • Revenge Porn Helpline (a UK-based organisation) provides this sample script:
    “Hi, my intimate images have been shared on your site without my consent. This is against the law in [Singapore] and I am requesting the images/videos to be removed along with any associated thumbnails. I would appreciate prompt removal of the content and notification when this has been done. Thank you.”

Provide a link to each image

  • Include a link to a URL for every page where your images have been shared on their site.
  • If the page you link to has multiple images on it (i.e. not all images of you), right-click on your image and choose copy image address.
  • Include this specific link in your email to avoid any confusion.

Do not share personal information

  • The site might respond by asking you for identity information to confirm that you are the person in the images/ videos.
  • As the site can use this information to harm you, you may want to avoid sharing your personal information. Re-emphasize your initial message and that you would appreciate their prompt action.
  • Under Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act, a business/company should not be asking for personal information that is not necessary for the service they are providing.

Remove URLs from search results

After you have reported your images to each individual site (or decided not to report to malicious sites), you should submit a request to keep these specific URLs from appearing in Google/ Bing search results.

This is useful whether or not your takedown reports were successful.

  • If the site agreed to take your content down, there may still be a period where the page continues to show up through a search engine.
  • If your report was refused, or you chose not to report to a malicious site, submitting a request to search engines should make it harder for people to find your content. However, remember that removing links to these URLs from search results will not remove your content from the website it is on.
Google search removal

You, or an authorised representative, can submit a request to remove non-consensually shared intimate images from Google’s search results.

Google will help to remove these if the removal request meets the following requirements:

  • The imagery shows you (or the individual you’re representing) nude, in a sexual act, or an intimate state; AND
  • EITHER: You (or the individual you’re representing) didn’t consent to the imagery or the act, and it was made publicly available,
  • OR: You intended the content to be private and the imagery was made publicly available without your consent.

Go here: Submit a removal request to remove your personal information

For each of the following questions in the form, select the corresponding option (where applicable):

  • What do you want to do? > Remove information you see in Google Search
  • Let us know where you saw the information you want to have removed > In Google’s search results and on a website
  • Have you contacted the site’s website owner? > No, I prefer not to or Yes if you have already contacted the site’s website owner.
  • I want to remove > Nude or explicit items, then A nude, sexual or intimate picture or video
  • Are you (or someone you are authorised to represent in the images or videos and are you nude or are they otherwise sexually explicit > Yes
  • Have you ever consent to the distribution of the images or videos? > No

Google will then prompt you to enter the following information

  • Your full name
  • Country (“Singapore”)
  • Contact email address > please use a valid email address that only you or people you trust have access to, and which Google can contact you at.
  • URL for where the content is live, if applicable
  • A sample URL of Google search results where the image or video appears
  • Screenshots of the offending content > This will help Google make sure they are removing the correct results. Google encourages you to use image-editing software to obscure the sexually explicit portions of the screenshots, but keep in mind the content needs to be identifiable to be removed.
Bing search removal

You can submit a request to remove non-consensually shared intimate images from Bing, which is owned by Microsoft.

Things to Note

  • You need to submit a form for each Microsoft service. For instance, if your images appear on Bing and Microsoft OneDrive, you have to submit a form for Bing, and another form for Microsoft OneDrive.
  • You can let Microsoft know that your reports are related by providing the reference number of the first report you submitted
  • The information you submit may be shared with others, including the publisher of any webpage that Microsoft agrees to block.
  • Microsoft can only remove content from Microsoft services. You need to work with other companies, including the owners of any website pages to remove pages from their services. Otherwise, the images will still be accessible on the Internet.

Go here: Non-consensual pornography reporting form

You will need to provide:

  • Your name, your signature (full name, typed) and an email address that you can be contacted at.
  • The URLs of the places where your images can be found
  • If you have submitted an earlier report, you can provide the reference number of this report.

For each of the following questions in the form, select the corresponding option (where applicable):

  • Where did you find the content? > Bing (or the Microsoft service you found your images on)
  • URLs you are requesting be removed > enter the URLs of all the places with your images and make sure to separate each URL with a semicolon (;)
  • Have you ever agreed to the distribution of the photo or video? > No
  • Does other information about you appear with the photo or video and, if so, what? > select the option that applies, such as My name or other personal information if this was shared with your images

If your intimate images have been removed from a webpage, but the webpage still shows up in Bing search results, you may have to use the Bing Content Removal Tool

Instructions for Submitting a Page Removal Request via Bing Content Removal Tool

Go here: Bing Content Removal Tool

  • Sign in to a Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account
  • In the Content URL input box > enter the exact URL you found in the Bing web results (for example, by using Copy Shortcut/Copy Link Address functionality in your browser)
  • In the Removal Type drop-down menu > Page Removal
  • Click Submit

When you click submit, Microsoft will run a check whether the page is actually no longer available on the web. If that is the case, Microsoft will submit the request and add it to the Submission History table. However, if they detect that the page is still live on the web, they will prompt that you can only submit a different type of request – an Outdated Cache Removal.

The steps for submitting an Outdated Cache Removal request are similar to the Page Removal request.

  • Go here: Bing Content Removal Tool
  • Sign in to a Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account
  • In the Content URL input box, enter the exact URL you found in the Bing web results (for example, by using Copy Shortcut/Copy Link Address functionality in your browser)
  • In the Removal Type drop-down menu, select Outdated Cache Removal (this is the step that is different from the Page Removal process)
  • In the Cached Page Text, enter the text that still appears on the cached page that no longer appears on the page that is live on the web
  • Click Submit

Bing/Microsoft will now check whether the page actually no longer contains the words that you’ve entered. If they’ve established that, your request will be added to the Submission History table, with the date and Content URL.

The Submission History table will show you the most recent submissions that were made for the account with which you are logged in. Since this is a history table of the requests you made and their status, you cannot remove or edit individual items afterwards.

To our knowledge, it is not possible to submit a removal request for Yahoo Search. While Yahoo indicates that they respond to takedown requests for non-consensually shared intimate images , from our research, their Singapore-based site does not have this option.

Other actions to consider

Hire a DMCA service

If you haven’t been able to have your images removed from sites using the steps above, you can consider hiring a DMCA service to take action against these sites.

The DMCA is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a copyright law from the United States. Under DMCA, copyright holders can issue a DMCA takedown notice to online service providers if your material has been shared illegally. The DMCA is a powerful law, but some websites outside of the US will refuse to comply. It might be difficult to remove content from some known ‘hotspots’ such as Sammyboy forum.

Benefits of hiring a DMCA service:

  • A DMCA service can minimise your exposure to further harm.
    • If you send takedown notices on your own, you will need to include your personal information (email, home address). There is a risk of your information being misused. If you use a paid service or hire a lawyer, they will send the takedowns with their own information instead of yours.
  • A DMCA service will save you some time and effort. They will write, issue, and track the takedown notices for you.

However, note:

  • DMCA services will not locate your intimate images for you.
    • You have to provide them with the exact URLs of where your images are located, which means you must search for and compile these yourself. It can be difficult to do this alone. Please ask trusted people to help you.
  • DMCA takedown services are not cheap.
    • One service we list below – DMCA.com – charges US$199 per infringing website (although they will refund you if the website is non-compliant or the takedown action was not successful).

Examples of DMCA takedown services: