How to get an intimate deepfake removed under the TAKE IT DOWN Act

The short version

• If an intimate image of you, real or AI-generated, is posted without your consent, covered platforms must remove it and known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request.
• If a platform ignores you or has no way to ask, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.
• Knowingly publishing these images, or threatening to, is also a federal crime.

How to get it taken down

• Save evidence first. Note the URL, the account name, the date, and take a screenshot if you can do so safely.
• Use the platform's TAKE IT DOWN request process. Covered platforms must post a clear, plain-language notice explaining how to ask for removal.
• Include what the law requires. Your written request needs your physical or electronic signature (or that of someone authorized to act for you), enough information to find the image, a brief statement that you believe in good faith it was published without your consent, and your contact information.
• Wait up to 48 hours. The platform must remove the image as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after receiving a valid request, and make reasonable efforts to find and remove known identical copies.
• If it's still up, report the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. You can describe up to five images on the same platform in one report. The FTC uses reports to investigate. It does not resolve individual complaints.
• Report the person who posted it to local police or the FBI. If you were under 18 in the image, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline and its Take It Down service can help.

What the law does

The TAKE IT DOWN Act ("Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act") does two things.

It creates federal crimes. It is illegal to knowingly publish, through an online service, an intimate image of an identifiable adult without consent, or a "digital forgery" of one, where the content was not voluntarily exposed in public, is not a matter of public concern, and publication is meant to cause or does cause harm. Separate rules protect minors. Penalties reach up to two years in prison for offenses involving adults and up to three years for offenses involving minors. Threatening to publish is also a crime.

A "digital forgery" is an intimate image of an identifiable person created or altered with AI or other technology that, viewed as a whole by a reasonable person, is indistinguishable from an authentic image.

It requires platforms to remove content. Covered platforms, meaning public websites and apps that primarily host user-generated content, must run the notice-and-removal process described above. The FTC enforces this. The agency says violations can bring civil penalties of $53,088 per violation.

Who it protects

Any identifiable person, adult or minor, whose intimate image, real or AI-generated, is published without consent. Consenting to the creation of an image, or sharing it privately with one person, does not count as consent to publish it.

What it means for you

Everyone: You have a legal right to a fast takedown process on covered platforms, and a federal agency to report to if it fails.

Creators: This applies to AI "nudify" fakes made from your public photos.

Platforms: You need a clear, conspicuous removal process, a 48-hour workflow, and a method for finding identical copies. The FTC suggests tools such as hashing.

What it doesn't do

• It covers intimate visual depictions. It does not cover non-sexual deepfakes, voice clones or impersonation in ads.
• It does not cover email, broadband providers, or sites that mainly publish their own, preselected content.
• It does not give you a private right to sue the platform. Enforcement against platforms is by the FTC.
• Platforms must remove "known identical copies." Altered versions may need separate requests.

Status and key dates

• May 19, 2025: Signed into law (Public Law 119-12). The criminal provisions apply from enactment.
• May 19, 2026: Platform notice-and-removal duties took effect, and the FTC began enforcing them and launched TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a platform have to remove an intimate deepfake? No more than 48 hours after it receives a valid removal request, and it must also make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies.

Does the TAKE IT DOWN Act cover AI-generated images? Yes. It covers "digital forgeries," which are intimate images created or altered with AI or other technology that look authentic to a reasonable person.

Where do I report a platform that won't remove my images? At TakeItDown.ftc.gov, the FTC's reporting site for the Act.

Do I need a lawyer to make a request? No. You, or someone authorized to act for you, can submit the request directly through the platform's process.

What you can do

• Bookmark TakeItDown.ftc.gov and the reporting pages of the platforms you use.
• Consider hash-based services such as StopNCII.org (adults) or NCMEC's Take It Down (minors) to help stop re-uploads.
• Keep copies of every request you send and every response you receive.

Royall helps you keep a record of what you have and haven't consented to.

Sources

• Public Law 119-12, TAKE IT DOWN Act (text): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ12/html/PLAW-119publ12.htm
• S. 146 bill status: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146
• FTC, TakeItDown.ftc.gov: https://takeitdown.ftc.gov/
• FTC business guidance, "Take It Down Act enforcement starts now" (May 19, 2026): https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2026/05/take-it-down-act-enforcement-starts-now-what-know-about-ftc-tida
• FTC, "Complying With the Take It Down Act": https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-take-it-down-act
• FTC consumer alert (Sept. 17, 2026): https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/09/did-online-platform-fail-quickly-take-down-your-intimate-images-report-it-ftc

Last verified: 2026-09-27

This is general information, not legal advice.