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SECTION 03 — LEGAL INSTRUMENTS
FILE US-NCR/2026SECTION 03 — STATUTECLASSIFICATION: CLIENT-CONFIDENTIALPUBLIC STANDARD · CLIENT ANSWER SEALED
Legal boundary standards — public briefingIn force — FTC enforceable

The law is public. The answer is sealed.

View standard↓

The TAKE IT DOWN Act made publishing non-consensual intimate images — real or AI-generated — a federal crime, and gave victims a 48-hour notice-and-removal window where the boundary fits. This page shows the public standard: what can start the clock, what stays sealed, and when the matter should move into an AboutUs client record. The law is visible. The private answer stays sealed.

If you found this page in the worst week of your life, you do not need to expose more than necessary. You need the right response handled quietly.

PUBLIC STANDARDOFFICIAL SOURCEVALID REQUESTCLIENT RECORD SEALED
PUBLIC
law · source · statutory clock
SEALED
private answer · private proof
RECEIPT
client record · response trail
LIMIT
education only · not legal advice
03A - AUTHORITY GATE
PUBLIC LAW VISIBLECLIENT RECORD SEALEDPUBLIC STANDARD ONLY

Law visible / answer sealed

The statute is public. The application stays sealed.

A legal page should create confidence without handing out the case-specific answer. Public statute pages show authority, sources, and limits. The client record carries the written boundary, timing context, and client receipt.

Request record reviewProof gate
LAWGATED

Public legal standard

Public pageThe page can name the law, official source, clock, or absence of a clock.

Client recordThe client record carries whether that standard fits the reviewed item.

SCOPEGATED

Written boundary

Public pageThe page can prove a boundary exists before work is accepted.

Client recordThe client record carries the private answer, proof notes, limits, and receipt posture.

PATHGATED

Official boundary

Public pageOfficial, provider, fallback, referral, and no-work labels stay separated.

Client recordThe client record explains which boundary applies and what AboutUs can accept, pause, or refer.

SEALGATED

Sealed value

Public pageThe public visitor sees the standard, not the sealed handling record.

Client recordClient correspondence, timing context, case-specific notes, and commercial terms stay sealed.

What stays off the page

Public law. Sealed answer.

The page proves AboutUs has a standard. The client record carries the private answer.

SEALED

Applicability answer

SEALED

Timing context

SEALED

Client receipt

SEALED

Client correspondence

SEALED

Referral boundary

SEALED

Commercial terms

Notice — education, not legal advice

This page is education, not legal advice. We are a removal agency, not a law firm; for advice on your specific situation, consult an attorney — or start with the written boundary check and we'll tell you honestly what your case needs.

THE FEDERAL STANDARD — SEC. 3

The clock is public. The basis is sealed.

From the moment a valid request lands, a covered platform has 48 hours. The public page can name the standard; the client record decides whether the standard actually fits a file.

For valid requests, covered platforms have a 48-hour removal obligation for reported non-consensual intimate imagery, must make reasonable efforts to remove identical copies, and answer to the Federal Trade Commission for failures to comply.

  1. (A)Maintain a plain, findable process for receiving covered removal requests.
  2. (B)Remove the reported imagery within 48 hours of a valid request.
  3. (C)Make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies of that imagery.
  4. (D)Answer to the Federal Trade Commission for any failure to comply.
Deadline

00:00:00 — the receipt matters. AboutUs records whether the right clock, if any, belongs in the client record.

03B - BOUNDARY DESK
FILE US-NCR/2026CLIENT RECORD SEALEDCLIENT-ONLY RECEIPT

Before AboutUs accepts work

The public standard becomes a client-record boundary.

This page shows public standards: available authority, official sources, receipt discipline, and honest limits. The case-specific answer stays inside the client record.

Market signal

48-hour federal removal window

The federal clock can matter only after a valid adult NCII request. The review stays sealed.

Open exhibit packet ->Open proof packet ->Open client record ->
STANDARD
Question

What public standard can be named?

Record

Statutory clock, official source, provider rule, referral, fallback, or no-work boundary.

Output

One plain label before AboutUs accepts work.

SEALED
Question

What stays inside the record?

Record

Case-specific answer, proof notes, and limits stay sealed.

Output

The public page stays at standard level.

RECEIPT
Question

What proves the review happened?

Record

Submission proof, timing, boundary label, response state, and client record.

Output

A client-only receipt another human can inspect without exposing the client again.

NEXT
Question

What if public authority is limited?

Record

Official receipt, alternate standard, fallback limit, legal-referral path, or closed boundary.

Output

A written boundary, not a vague progress claim.

Public standard

TAKE IT DOWN Act

48-hour platform removal duty for adult NCII and AI deepfakes where the statutory standard is supportable.

Public standard

DMCA §512

Notice-and-takedown where ownership and copying can be documented privately.

Public standard

Provider & Section 230-aligned policies

Safety and privacy standards named publicly only at the standard level.

Public standard

Fallback limits

Limited public-facing work is labeled as fallback, never sold as the stronger result.

THE ANNOTATED ACT — PUBLIC AUTHORITY

What can be named publicly.

Two sides do the work: a criminal side that makes publishing a federal offense, and a removal side that puts platforms on a 48-hour clock when a valid request lands. The red margin is the public standard, not client instructions.

S. 146 — 119TH CONGRESSPUBLIC LAW NO. 119-12PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY — NOT THE STATUTORY TEXT

SEC. 2 — CRIMINAL PROHIBITION

01 Knowingly publishing an intimate image of an identifiable adult without consent is a federal criminal offense — punishable by fines and imprisonment, with harsher penalties where threats or extortion are involved.

SEC. 2 — DIGITAL FORGERIES

02 The prohibition extends to digital forgeries — AI-generated or computer-edited imagery that depicts an identifiable, real person as if authentic.

SEC. 3 — NOTICE AND REMOVAL

03 Covered platforms must maintain a clear notice-and-removal process. For a valid request from a victim or their authorized representative, the statute sets a 48-hour removal obligation for reported imagery and requires reasonable efforts on identical copies.

SEC. 3 — ENFORCEMENT

04 A platform’s failure to reasonably comply with its removal obligations is treated as an unfair or deceptive act or practice, enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission.
TIMELINE — THE 48-HOUR REMOVAL LAW

Signed, phased in, now in force.

  1. MAY 19, 2025

    Signed into law

    The TAKE IT DOWN Act passes Congress with near-unanimous support and is signed. From this day, publishing non-consensual intimate imagery — real or AI-generated — is a federal crime.

  2. MAY 19, 2026

    Compliance deadline

    The one-year grace period ends. Every covered platform must now operate a notice-and-removal process and honor the 48-hour window.

  3. TODAY

    Live and enforceable

    The removal mechanism is in force and enforceable. A missed window becomes a recorded boundary issue before any broader claim.

    In force
WHO IT PROTECTSBOUNDARY: ADULTS (18+)

Who the law protects.

Three sentences victims hear — each one wrong. The statute strikes them out.

“I sent it to one person. I lost my rights.”

Consent to share once, privately, is never consent to publish. The Act explicitly covers images you originally took or shared willingly.

COVERED — SHARED PRIVATELY, ONCE
“It's AI — it isn't really me.”

A digital forgery of an identifiable person is covered the same as an authentic photograph. You never posed for anything; the law protects you anyway.

COVERED — DIGITAL FORGERY
“Nothing has been posted yet, so nobody can act.”

Threats to publish are how many of these cases begin. Preparation lets a valid request go out quickly if material appears — and if money is being demanded, do not pay. Use private case review before sending files.

COVERED — THREATENED, NOT POSTED
VALIDITY — PUBLIC STANDARD

A valid request can start the clock. The review stays sealed.

WHAT THE STATUTE REQUIRES

  1. 01Authority to act, documented without overexposure.
  2. 02A basis that fits, not a louder complaint.
  3. 03Locator detail sufficient for review, not a public case narrative.
  4. 04A controlled return channel for receipts and review notices.

WHY REQUESTS QUIETLY FAIL

  • Evidence that proves harm but not boundary fit.
  • A complaint sent through the wrong public channel.
  • Sensitive material added where a locator would do.
  • Anything a reviewer can mark incomplete before the clock starts.

A malformed request can sit outside the statutory window. The 48 hours begins only when a request is valid under the rule being used. That is the paid review, not a field guide.

AUTHORITY

Requester authority

The notice states whether the request comes from the victim or an authorized representative, then keeps client details sealed.

LOCATOR

Locator discipline

Every reported item is tied to enough locator detail for review without publishing client-only boundary detail.

BASIS

Recorded boundary

Statutory, copyright, policy, official, fallback, and referral labels stay separate instead of blended together.

RECEIPT

Client receipt

The client receipt — submission state and response posture — stays attached to the client record, in categories a reviewer can inspect without exposing the client again.

Pre-review quality checks

The point is not a louder complaint. The point is a request a reviewer can validate without exposing the client again.

  • Can the public label be named without exposing sensitive material?
  • Can the record be reviewed from a minimal private summary?
  • Are related copies recorded in the client record without overstating the public claim?
  • Is the public label safe, honest, and limited?
CLIENT RECORD SPECIMENFIELDS ANONYMIZED
CLIENT
AUTHORITY
ABOUTUSAGENCY INC.
SEALED LOCATOR RECORD
SEALED · CLIENT RECORD
BASIS REVIEW
CLIENT-ONLY
PUBLIC LABEL
Boundary held

REPRESENTATIVE SCENARIO — composite of typical engagements, anonymized. Individual results vary; eligibility and any results-based terms are defined in your written service agreement.

OFFICIAL COMPLIANCE RECORD
FAILURE STANDARDOFFICIAL REPORT WHERE FITCLIENT RECORD SEALED

When the platform misses

Official reporting is not the service.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act gives victims and authorized representatives a notice-and-removal process. Official reporting matters when a covered platform does not provide a process, does not reasonably comply, or lets a valid request sit outside the statutory window.

It is not a removal command, and it is not an AboutUs intake form. It is a public compliance boundary. AboutUs value is the sealed review record, receipt discipline, and next written boundary.

RECORD

A valid request is the gate.

The statutory window depends on a valid request, not a general complaint. The client record preserves the first standard.

RECEIPT

The receipt lives in the record.

Proof, timing, decision state, and client notes stay in one client record.

REVIEW

Response posture is a label.

Response, silence, refusal, or late action are different records. The file labels the posture before any next step.

SEPARATE

Boundaries stay separated.

Official reporting, sealed review, fallback labels, and legal-referral paths stay separate.

Failure receipt

A missed window becomes a record in the client file — this page shows only the categories. The intimate file itself stays out of the official packet.

  • Visible surface — what could be seen, held as a category only.
  • Official owner — which official door held the request.
  • Private decision — response posture, labeled inside the record.
  • Client receipt — held for the client, never republished.
Compare public boundariesFTC reporting site
THE LEGAL STACK

Four standards, one sealed review.

The Act is powerful when it fits. It is not the only boundary. The public page names the standards; the client record carries the written boundary, proof notes, and limit.

BOUNDARY 01 — THE TAKE IT DOWN ACT

The 48-hour federal window.

For non-consensual intimate imagery of adults — real or AI-generated — on covered platforms. A valid victim request starts the statutory clock, and the FTC enforces the notice-and-removal process.

PUBLIC FRAME
Adult NCII, AI deepfake intimate imagery, and identical-copy concerns where the covered-platform standard is supportable.
LIMIT
Only applies where the statutory elements and covered-platform boundary are met.
Read the annotated act ↑
BOUNDARY 02 — DMCA §512

Copyright as a removal boundary.

Copyright can matter where authorship and copying are genuinely in the record. It stays separate from privacy or safety claims.

PUBLIC FRAME
Original works and copied material where ownership can be documented inside the client record.
LIMIT
It is not a privacy law, and the public page does not turn it into one.
BOUNDARY 03 — PLATFORM POLICY · SECTION 230

Provider rules, kept in their lane.

Provider abuse, harassment, impersonation, privacy, and adult-safety standards can matter alongside law. The client record holds the application detail.

PUBLIC FRAME
Harassment, impersonation, threats, doxxing, policy-banned sexual content, and repeat exposure.
LIMIT
Policy review is discretionary unless a separate legal duty applies.
BOUNDARY 04 — FALLBACK LABEL

The fallback, labeled honestly.

When a stronger result is unavailable, limited public-facing work can reduce exposure. It is labeled as fallback, never sold as the stronger result.

PUBLIC FRAME
Exposure where a stronger change is unavailable, outside boundary, or belongs with counsel.
LIMIT
A fallback result is still labeled as fallback in the client record.
JURISDICTION — WHERE THE ACT RUNS OUT

The law has edges. The record still matters.

The Act binds covered platforms serving U.S. users. An offshore site with no U.S. presence may never answer a victim notice. That does not end the review. Public boundaries, sealed records, policy options, fallback labels, and legal referrals are separated inside the file. The written review names which boundary appears available, which is limited, and which should not be sold.

PUBLIC BOUNDARYR-01

Some files still have a supportable public standard even when the Act does not control the whole case.

SEALED RECORDR-02

Some cases depend on facts behind the visible page. That private answer stays sealed.

POLICY OR REFERRALR-03

Terms, safety rules, abuse standards, counsel, or official referral can matter when a statute is not enough.

FALLBACK LABELR-04

Limited exposure work can be useful. It stays labeled as fallback, never sold as the stronger result.

The public page shows the categories. The client record carries the written boundary and the documented decision file.

We prepare the right boundary for your case — and tell you honestly what can be written, before you commit.

Open client record for non-intimate cases →RECORD REVIEW · PRIVATE SUMMARY FIRST · ADULTS 18+

Next in file

04 — Findings

END OF SECTION 03 — LEGAL INSTRUMENTS · SECTION 04 — FINDINGS & PROOF