Three tools, three different jobs
| What it is | Where it reaches | |
|---|---|---|
| StopNCII | A free hashing tool for adults whose intimate images were shared, or may be shared, without consent | Only platforms that participate in the program |
| Take It Down (NCMEC) | The same hashing approach for images taken when the person was under 18 | Only participating, public or unencrypted platforms |
| US Take It Down Act | A federal law: covered platforms must remove valid requests within 48 hours | Covered platforms, as the law defines them |
None of them is a copyright tool, and none of them removes anything from search results. That matters for creators, as the last section explains.
How StopNCII works
StopNCII.org is run by the UK charity SWGfL. You select the intimate images or videos on your own device, and StopNCII generates a hash, a digital fingerprint of the file. StopNCII says the content itself is not shared and stays on your device; only the hash is sent. Participating platforms then look for matching content, and StopNCII says it keeps looking for matches over time.
According to its FAQ, you can create a case if:
- the image is of you and you have access to it,
- it is intimate in nature (nude or sexual), and
- you were over 18 in the image.
The limits are worth knowing before you start:
- Participating platforms only. StopNCII says it cannot remove images from the whole internet, only from the platforms on its partners page. That list includes large social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and X. Leak sites are not part of it.
- Platforms decide. When a match appears, the platform reviews it against its own policies and acts accordingly. StopNCII does not promise removal.
- Edits can break the match. StopNCII says a cropped image, an added filter or a clipped video may not be recognized by the original hash.
- Non-consensual images only. StopNCII says it only accepts non-consensual intimate images and videos, and that ineligible media will not be removed.
NCMEC's Take It Down, for images taken before 18
Take It Down, run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, is for people who have nude, partially nude or sexually explicit images or videos of themselves taken when they were under 18. That includes adults today who want to remove images from when they were younger. It works the same way: the hash is made on your device and only the hash goes to NCMEC. It only works on public or unencrypted platforms that participate, and NCMEC notes that platforms may have limited ability to remove content posted in the past. Exploitation of a minor can also be reported to NCMEC's CyberTipline.
The US Take It Down Act
The Take It Down Act was signed on May 19, 2025. Its notice and removal rules for platforms, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, took effect on May 19, 2026. In short:
- Who it covers. The law defines a covered platform as a public website, online service or app that mainly provides a forum for user-generated content, or whose regular business is making non-consensual intimate images available. It excludes internet access providers, email, and sites whose content is mainly chosen by the site itself. The FTC describes the scope as including social media, messaging, image or video sharing, and gaming platforms.
- What a valid request includes. According to the text of the law: a physical or electronic signature, an identification of the image with enough information to locate it, a brief statement of your good-faith belief that it is not consensual, and your contact information.
- What the platform must do. Remove the image as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after a valid request, and make reasonable efforts to find and remove known identical copies.
- If a platform does not comply. The FTC tells people to report it at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.
Platforms publish their own request forms. Our guides cover X's, where no account is needed, and Reddit's, which asks for a contact email, your full legal signature and a direct link.
The UK: the Online Safety Act and Ofcom
In the UK, the Online Safety Act's illegal content duties are in force and enforced by Ofcom. The government's explainer lists intimate image abuse among the kinds of illegal content platforms must protect users from, and says platforms need systems for removing illegal content when it appears. In June 2026, draft amendments to Ofcom's codes were published that would recommend perceptual hash matching to stop known non-consensual intimate images being uploaded again, for services where that risk is medium or high. As of this review, Ofcom planned its final decision for autumn 2026. Reports still start on the platform itself.
Why copyright usually holds better for content you sold
StopNCII, Take It Down and the Take It Down Act are all built around consent. For content a creator chose to sell, the platforms' own rules draw the same line:
- Reddit says its intimate media rule does not apply to media distributed commercially with consent, and sends commercial adult creators to its copyright form.
- Google's personal sexual content removal requires that you are not currently being paid to commercialize the content.
- X allows consensually produced adult content when it is marked sensitive.
- StopNCII only accepts non-consensual images.
The law itself leaves room for questions. Its criminal provisions for adults cover images that were not voluntarily exposed "in a public or commercial setting", and how the platform removal process treats content that was sold to subscribers and then leaked is a legal question that depends on the facts. A lawyer can tell you how it applies to you.
Copyright does not depend on consent. It depends on ownership, and it works with the sites hosting the copy, the search engines showing it and the social platforms linking to it. If you made the content, a copyright notice is usually the most dependable route. One caveat: if someone else shot it, they may hold the copyright, so check your agreements with photographers and collaborators.
The tools can also work together. Private images you never sold, or fakes, fit StopNCII and Take It Down Act requests. Content you sell fits copyright notices. When a leak mixes both, use both.
This guide explains how these tools and laws work, with links to the official sources. It is not legal advice. For questions about your own situation, talk to a lawyer.