Highlighted wordsare glossary terms — tap one for a plain-language definition.
Image-based abuse happens when someone creates, shares, or threatens to share an intimate image without the depicted person's permission. It can involve a real image, a digitally altered image, an AI-generated DeepfakeWhat it means: Artificially generated or altered video, audio, or imagery made to resemble a real person or event.Example: A video call “from an executive” approving an urgent payment.What to do: Confirm any money or access request by calling the person on a number you already have.Important: Video and voice are no longer proof of who you are talking to.What does this mean?, or something once shared privately. The abuse is not your fault, and you do not have to handle it alone. [1, 4]
First, protect your safety
People may use intimate images for humiliation, coercive control, revenge, or financial extortion. If someone might monitor your phone, accounts, or email, use a safer device and an account they cannot access. Do not confront the person if that could put you in danger. You choose which steps feel safe and manageable. [1, 4, 5, 6]
- Move to a safer device or ask a trusted person to help if your device may be monitored.
- Tell someone you trust; you deserve practical and emotional support.
- If you face an immediate physical threat, contact local emergency services.
- Do not pay, send more images, or give the person access to an account or device.
Preserve only what you need
Keep enough information to support a report without spreading the image further. Record the page URL, platform, account name, date and time, threats or demands, and later the removal-request date and confirmation number. [1]
- Save the URL, username, timestamps, and relevant messages.
- Keep the platform's confirmation or case number.
- Do not repost the image to explain what happened.
- Never download, forward, or redistribute an intimate image of a minor.
Report it and start the 48-hour clock
Federal protections cover authentic intimate images, digitally altered images, and AI-generated deepfakes. Covered platforms must offer a removal process. After a valid request, the platform must remove the reported content and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies within 48 hours. This applies to the covered platform receiving the request; it cannot guarantee that every copy disappears from the internet. [1, 2, 3]
- Use the platform's official reporting option or help center.
- Choose the closest reason: nonconsensual intimate image, sexual exploitation, or AI-generated sexual content.
- Save the confirmation and note the exact time the platform received your request.
- A trusted person can report on your behalf with your permission.
Escalate when the platform does not act
Report the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov if it does not remove the image and known identical copies within 48 hours, has no removal process, has a broken reporting system, or requires an account before accepting a request. The FTC portal records a platform-compliance complaint; it does not remove the image itself. [2, 3]
- For an adult depicted in the image, StopNCII.org can create a digital fingerprint to help participating platforms detect copies.
- If the person was under 18 when the image was taken, use NCMEC's Take It Down service and, when appropriate, the CyberTipline.
- These hashing tools create a digital fingerprint without requiring the image itself to leave the device.
- For threats or blackmail, preserve the messages, stop responding when safe, and report the conduct to law enforcement.
Why Hygi. recommends this — the guidance above follows these published sources:
Federal Trade Commission
Image-Based Abuse: What To Know and Do(opens in a new tab)Published May 19, 2026. Trauma-informed response steps and help resources.
Federal Trade Commission
What will the FTC's enforcement of the TAKE IT DOWN Act mean for you?(opens in a new tab)Published May 19, 2026. Coverage, the 48-hour rule, and FTC reporting.
Federal Trade Commission
Complying With the Take It Down Act(opens in a new tab)Published May 8, 2026. Platform notice-and-removal requirements.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Technology-Facilitated Abuse(opens in a new tab)Published May 28, 2025. Defines image-based sexual abuse and sextortion as forms of technology-facilitated abuse used for power and control.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Internet Safety for Survivors(opens in a new tab)Survivor-centered guidance on monitored devices, safer technology use, and the limits of deleting browsing history.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Emotional Safety Planning(opens in a new tab)Trauma-informed guidance that centers personal choice, manageable next steps, trusted support, and emotional safety.
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Unfamiliar term? Open the Digital Safety Glossary