The Take It Down Act is a federal law that makes websites and apps remove intimate images posted without consent, including AI deepfakes, within 48 hours of a valid request. It also makes it a crime to publish those images, or to threaten to.
If someone has posted a nude or sexual image of you or your child, this law gives you a fast way to get it taken down and a federal agency to call if a platform ignores you. Here is how it works and exactly what to send.
Fast Facts About the Take It Down Act
- The law was signed on May 19, 2025, and platforms had until May 19, 2026, to set up a removal process.[1]
- Once a platform gets a valid request, it must remove the image, and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies, within 48 hours.[1]
- It covers real photos and videos as well as images faked with AI or editing software.[3]
- Publishing these images, or threatening to, is a federal crime with prison terms of up to three years when the victim is a minor.[1]
- If a platform doesn’t act, report it at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. Violations can bring civil penalties of up to $53,088 each.[4]
If a child is being threatened right now
- Don’t pay and don’t send anything more. Follow the steps in the sextortion guide.
- Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
- If your child is thinking about suicide or feels there is no way out, call or text 988. Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
What Is the Take It Down Act?
The Take It Down Act is Public Law 119-12. Its full name is the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act. The Senate passed it on February 13, 2025, the House on April 28, 2025, and it was signed on May 19, 2025.[1]
The law does two separate things:
- It creates federal crimes for knowingly posting intimate images of someone without consent, including AI fakes, and for threatening to post them.
- It requires platforms to take images down. Social media, messaging and image or video sharing apps and sites must offer a way to request removal and must act within 48 hours of a valid request.[4]
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the takedown rules against platforms. Criminal cases against the person who posted or threatened go through law enforcement.[2][4]
What Counts as an Intimate Image Under the Law?
The law covers two kinds of images:
- Real images: intimate photos or videos of an identifiable person. The person can be identified by their face, their likeness or a distinguishing feature such as a birthmark.[1]
- Digital forgeries: intimate images created or altered with software, machine learning or AI that a reasonable person would find indistinguishable from a real image of that person. “Nudify” apps that turn a clothed photo into a fake nude fall here.[1][6] Our deepfake nudes guide explains what to do if your child is targeted.
Two rules about consent matter most. Agreeing to have an image taken is not agreeing to have it posted. And sending an image to one person is not consent for that person to publish it.[1]
What the Take It Down Act Makes a Crime
For a real image of an adult, it’s a crime to knowingly post it when it was taken or obtained with an expectation of privacy, wasn’t voluntarily shown in public, isn’t a matter of public concern, and is posted to cause harm or does cause harm. For an AI fake of an adult, the question is whether the person consented to it being posted. For a minor, real or fake, it’s a crime to knowingly post the image to abuse, humiliate, harass or degrade the child, or for anyone’s sexual gratification.[1]
| Conduct | If the victim is an adult | If the victim is a minor |
|---|---|---|
| Posting a real intimate image | Up to 2 years in prison, a fine, or both | Up to 3 years in prison, a fine, or both |
| Posting an AI or digitally faked intimate image | Up to 2 years | Up to 3 years |
| Threatening to post a real image to intimidate, coerce or extort | Up to 2 years | Up to 3 years |
| Threatening to post a faked image to intimidate, coerce or extort | Up to 18 months | Up to 30 months |
A court must also order the offender to pay restitution to the victim, and to forfeit the images and any property used to commit the crime.[1]
The threat provisions matter for sextortion. Someone who threatens to post a teen’s intimate images, real or AI-made, to extort money or more images may be committing a federal crime under this law.[1] Images that legally count as child sexual abuse material are handled under separate, older federal laws, and the Take It Down Act doesn’t limit those.[1]
How to Get an Image Removed in 48 Hours
Every covered platform must post a clear, easy-to-find explanation of how to request removal.[1] Here is the process from start to finish.
- Find the platform’s removal process. Look for a report option on the post itself, often under the three-dot menu, or go through the platform’s help and support pages.[5]
- Write down where the image is. Copy the links, usernames and dates. Don’t download, forward or re-share the image itself, especially if it shows someone under 18.[7]
- Include the four things the law requires. Your request has to be in writing and include each item in the checklist below.[1]
- Save proof that you submitted it. Keep the date and time, and any confirmation or report number the platform gives you. The 48 hours start when the platform receives a valid request.[1][3]
- Check back after 48 hours. If the image is still up, or you couldn’t find a working removal process, report the platform to the FTC.[10]
What a Valid Removal Request Must Include
Under Section 3 of the law, the request must include:[1]
- A physical or electronic signature from the person in the image, or from someone authorized to act for them
- Information that identifies the image and lets the platform find it, such as the link or the account that posted it
- A short statement that you believe in good faith the image was posted without consent, with any details that help the platform confirm that
- Contact information so the platform can reach you
A request written along these lines covers all four:
I am the person shown in the image at [link], or the parent of the minor shown in it. This image was published without consent, and I believe this in good faith because [brief reason, for example: it was sent privately and posted without permission, or it is a fake made from a clothed photo]. I request its removal under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, including any identical copies. You can reach me at [email or phone]. Signed, [your name], [date].
Parents can submit requests for their children. The law lets an authorized person act on behalf of the person in the image, and the FTC accepts reports from parents whose child appears in an image.[1][4]
What to Do If a Platform Doesn’t Take It Down
Report the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. The FTC launched the site when enforcement began on May 19, 2026. It takes complaints about platforms that ignore valid requests and about platforms that have no removal process at all.[2]
- Not removing an image within 48 hours of a valid request is a violation.[10]
- A missing or broken removal process is also a violation.[10]
- The FTC can seek civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.[3]
The FTC has already acted. Before the deadline, its chairman sent letters reminding major platforms of their duties, including Alphabet, Apple, Discord, Meta, Microsoft, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok and X.[2] On May 20, 2026, it sent warning letters to 12 companies offering “nudify” tools that appeared to have no removal process.[6]
The FTC holds platforms accountable but can’t remove images itself. Only the platform can take an image down, so always send your request to the platform first.[4]
How to Stop an Image From Spreading to Other Sites
A removal request only covers the platform you send it to. Two free services can block the same image on many platforms at once, without you ever sending the image to anyone:
- Take It Down, run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, is for images taken before age 18. It creates a digital fingerprint, called a hash, on your own device. Participating platforms use the hash to find and remove matching copies, and you can stay anonymous.[7]
- StopNCII.org, run by the Revenge Porn Helpline, does the same for images of adults.[5][7]
The two names cause a lot of confusion. NCMEC’s Take It Down is a free removal tool run by a nonprofit. The Take It Down Act is the 2025 federal law. You can use both, and you should: the tool helps stop copies across participating platforms, and the law gives you a deadline and an enforcer.
How to Report the Person Who Posted It
Posting someone’s intimate image without consent, or threatening to, is a crime. Report the person to your local police and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.[4] If the image shows someone under 18, also report to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org.[11]
You may also be able to sue. A separate federal law lets a person whose intimate image was shared without consent sue the person who shared it for actual damages or $150,000, plus legal costs. A parent or guardian can bring the case for a child, and the court can let the victim use a pseudonym.[8]
What the Law Covers, and Where It Falls Short
The takedown rules apply to “covered platforms”: public websites and apps that mainly host content from users, such as messages, videos, images, games and audio. They also cover sites whose business is publishing nonconsensual intimate images.[1]
The rules don’t apply to:[1]
- Internet service providers
- Sites that mostly publish their own preselected content, where comments or chat are only incidental
Not everyone thinks the law is well built. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, argues that the takedown section covers more content than the criminal section, lacks safeguards against false or bad-faith requests, and gives platforms too little time to check whether a request is valid. It warns that platforms may remove lawful content rather than take the legal risk.[9] The law does protect platforms from liability when they remove content in good faith, and it sets no penalty for a false request.[1]
For a family dealing with a real image, the practical point is that the law gives you a written process, a 48-hour deadline and a federal agency to report to.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Take It Down Act take effect?
It was signed on May 19, 2025. The criminal sections carry no delayed start date. Platforms had one year, until May 19, 2026, to set up their removal processes, and the FTC began enforcing that part on May 19, 2026.[1][2]
Does the Take It Down Act cover AI deepfakes?
Yes. The law calls them digital forgeries: intimate images created or altered with software or AI that look real to a reasonable person. They’re covered by both the criminal provisions and the 48-hour takedown rule.[1][3]
Can a parent request removal of a child’s image?
Yes. An authorized person can submit a removal request on behalf of the person in the image, and the FTC accepts reports from parents whose child appears in an image.[1][4]
Is the Take It Down Act the same as NCMEC’s Take It Down tool?
No. Take It Down is a free tool from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that helps remove images taken before age 18 from participating platforms. The Take It Down Act is a federal law. They work well together.[7]
Does the law cover messaging apps and email?
The FTC says covered platforms include social media, messaging, and image or video sharing apps and sites. Email is specifically excluded.[1][4]
What can I do if a platform ignores my request?
Report it at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. A platform that doesn’t remove the image within 48 hours of a valid request, or has no working removal process, is violating the law.[10]
Can I sue the person who posted my images?
Often, yes. A federal law lets you sue someone who shared your intimate image without consent for actual damages or $150,000, plus legal costs, and a parent can sue on a child’s behalf.[8] A lawyer can tell you whether your situation qualifies.
Related Guides
- Deepfake Nudes and Nudify Apps
- Sextortion: What to Do and How to Report It
- Signs of Online Grooming
- Snapchat Safety for Parents
- Kids Online Safety
- What Parents Need to Know About Nudify Apps
- How to Report Sextortion
Sources
- TAKE IT DOWN Act, Pub. L. No. 119-12, 139 Stat. 55 (2025). Public Law 119-12.
- Federal Trade Commission. (2026, May 19). FTC Begins Enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
- Federal Trade Commission. (2026, May 19). Take It Down Act enforcement starts now: What to know about the FTC and TIDA.
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. (2026, May). What will the FTC’s enforcement of the TAKE IT DOWN Act mean for you?
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. (2026, September). Was your intimate image shared online without your consent? Here’s what to do.
- Federal Trade Commission. (2026, May 20). FTC Sends Warning Letters to Companies About Compliance with the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). Take It Down.
- Civil action relating to disclosure of intimate images, 15 U.S.C. § 6851. Legal Information Institute.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2025, April 28). Congress Passes TAKE IT DOWN Act Despite Major Flaws.
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. (2026, September). Did an online platform fail to quickly take down your intimate images? Report it to the FTC.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). CyberTipline.