Briefing · Not legal advice
What the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires of platforms.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to remove a reported image within 48 hours of a valid request from the person shown or someone authorized to act for them. That is the platform’s duty, not an AboutUs deadline.
For the four parts a request needs, see What a TAKE IT DOWN Act request needs.
Unsafe? Call or text 988 Report a threat: tips.fbi.gov (opens in a new tab) Under 18?
Education, not legal advice. Details
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 ask us privately and we'll tell you honestly what your case needs and what it costs.
On this page
The TAKE IT DOWN Act also made knowingly publishing non-consensual intimate images — real or AI-generated — a federal crime when its conditions are met. This page explains what the law covers, what it asks of platforms, and where it stops. The details of your own situation stay private.
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.
Sec. 3 · Platform duties
The 48 hours belong to the platform.
After a valid request from the person shown or someone authorized to act for them, a covered platform has 48 hours to remove the reported image. That is the platform’s legal duty, not an AboutUs turnaround.
- (A) Maintain a plain, findable process for receiving removal requests.
- (B) Remove the reported image within 48 hours of a valid request.
- (C) Make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies of that image.
- (D) Face Federal Trade Commission enforcement for failing to reasonably comply.
A covered platform that does not act on a valid request can be reported to the FTC. The Act does not promise that any single request will succeed.
The Act, annotated
What the Act says.
The Act has two parts: criminal offenses for publishing, or threatening to publish, when its conditions are met; and a removal duty that gives covered platforms 48 hours after a valid request. The margin notes are our plain reading, not legal advice.
S. 146 — 119th Congress · Public Law No. 119-12 · Plain-language summary — not the statutory text
Sec. 2 — Criminal prohibition
Knowingly publishing an intimate image of an identifiable adult without consent can be a federal crime when the Act’s conditions are met: the image was made or obtained with a reasonable expectation of privacy, was not voluntarily exposed in a public or commercial setting, is not a matter of public concern, and the publication is meant to cause harm or does cause harm. Threatening to publish for intimidation, coercion, extortion, or to cause mental distress is also an offense.
Our reading: whether charges follow is for police and prosecutors to decide, not a platform or AboutUs.
Sec. 2 — Digital forgeries
The Act also covers digital forgeries — intimate images of an identifiable real person made or altered with AI or other software that, viewed as a whole, look indistinguishable from an authentic image.
Our reading: synthetic does not mean unserious. The image still has to show a person who can be identified.
Sec. 3 — Notice and removal
Covered platforms must provide a clear notice-and-removal process. After a valid request from the person shown or someone authorized to act for them, the platform must remove the reported image within 48 hours and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies.
Our reading: the 48 hours are the platform’s duty and start only with a valid request. They are not an AboutUs turnaround; our work follows your written scope.
Sec. 3 — Enforcement
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.
Our reading: enforcement is aimed at the platform. It does not promise that any single request will succeed.
Primary sources
This page is a plain-language briefing. The controlling text is the statute and current FTC guidance, not our summary.
Timeline
Signed, phased in, now in force.
May 19, 2025
Signed into law
The TAKE IT DOWN Act passes Congress and is signed. Its criminal provisions take effect: knowingly publishing non-consensual intimate imagery — real or AI-generated — can be a federal crime when the Act’s conditions are met.
May 19, 2026
Compliance deadline
The one-year period for platforms ends. Covered platforms must now run a notice-and-removal process and remove a reported image within 48 hours of a valid request.
Today
Live and enforceable
The FTC enforces the platform duty. A covered platform that fails to reasonably comply can face FTC action; the Act does not promise any single request will succeed.
In force
Who it protects
Who the law protects.
Three things people are often told — each one wrong — and what the Act actually says. The Act protects minors too; anything involving a minor goes to NCMEC and law enforcement, not a paid service.
AboutUs cases: adults (18+) only
The Act · Shared privately, once
“I sent it to one person. I lost my rights.”Sharing an image privately is not consent to publish it. The Act says that agreeing to an image being made, or sharing it with someone, does not by itself mean you agreed to its publication.
The Act · Digital forgery
“It's AI — it isn't really me.”The Act covers digital forgeries — realistic AI-made or edited intimate images of an identifiable person — alongside authentic images. You never posed for it; the law can still apply.
The Act · Threatened, not posted
“Nothing has been posted yet, so nobody can act.”Threatening to publish can itself be an offense when it is meant to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause distress. Preparing now lets a valid request go out quickly if anything appears. If money is being demanded, do not pay. Ask privately before sending any files.
Under 18 · mandatory referral
If this involves someone under 18
We work with adults (18+) only. If intimate images of someone under 18 are involved, report it immediately to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org, use NCMEC's Take It Down at takeitdown.ncmec.org, and contact local law enforcement. Do not send the content to anyone — including us.
A valid request
A valid request starts the platform’s 48 hours. Your details stay private.
What a valid request includes
- A signature, physical or electronic, from the person shown or someone authorized to act for them.
- Enough information for the platform to identify and find the image.
- A short statement of a good-faith belief that the image was published without consent.
- Contact information for the person making the request.
Why requests quietly fail
- Evidence that proves harm but not that the rule applies.
- A complaint sent through the wrong public channel.
- Sensitive material attached where a link would do.
- Anything a reviewer can mark incomplete before the 48 hours start.
A request that is missing a required part may not start the platform’s 48 hours. Checking a request before it is sent is part of our paid review; this page is a summary of the law, not a filing guide.
Authority
Requester authority
The request says whether it comes from the person shown or someone authorized to act for them, and keeps other personal details private.
Items
Each item identified
Every reported item has enough detail for a reviewer to find it, without publishing anything private.
Basis
The right rule
Law, copyright, platform policy, official channels, search-only options, and referrals stay separate instead of blended together.
Record
A record of what was sent
What was submitted and how the site responded stay in the private case file, organized so a reviewer can check them without exposing the person again.
Pre-review quality checks
The point is not a louder complaint. The point is a request a reviewer can check without exposing the person again.
- Can the result be labeled without exposing sensitive material?
- Can the request be reviewed from a short private summary?
- Are related copies recorded in the private case file without overstating the claim?
- Is the label safe, honest, and limited?
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE — a hypothetical situation written to explain how we work. It is not a client case and does not describe a real result. Outcomes vary; eligibility and any results-based terms are set in your written service agreement.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Person shown | Not named — example format |
| Sent by | AboutUsAgency, Inc., with your permission |
| Item details | Kept in the private case file |
| Legal basis review | Shared only with you |
| Label | Example |
When the platform misses
Reporting a platform to the FTC is free.
Read this section: Reporting a platform to the FTC is free.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act gives the person shown, or someone authorized to act for them, a way to ask covered platforms for removal. If a covered platform has no request process, does not reasonably comply, or leaves a valid request past 48 hours, you can report it to the FTC yourself.
An FTC report is not a removal order, and it is not an AboutUs form. The FTC enforces the law against platforms; a report does not guarantee that an image comes down. What AboutUs can add is a written record of what was sent, when, and what came back — and a written scope for any next step.
Request
A valid request comes first.
The platform’s 48 hours start with a valid request, not a general complaint. Your case file keeps a copy of what was sent.
Dates
What was sent, and when.
When a request was sent, what it said, and what came back are kept together in your private case file.
Response
Every response is labeled.
A reply, silence, a refusal, and late action are recorded differently before any next step.
Separate
Options stay separate.
Official reports, our own requests, limited results (e.g. search-only), and referrals to a lawyer are kept separate.
What your case file keeps
If a platform misses its 48 hours, that is noted in your private case file. This page shows only the categories.
- Where it appeared — described by category only.
- Who received the request — the platform or official channel.
- What happened — the response, labeled in your case file.
- Your copy — kept for you, never republished.
The legal stack
Four options, one private review.
The Act is strong when it fits, but it is not the only option. This page names the options; your written scope says which one fits your case, what evidence it needs, and its limits.
Read this section: Four options, one private review.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act
The platform’s 48-hour duty.
For non-consensual intimate imagery — real or AI-generated — on covered platforms. A valid request from the person shown or their authorized representative starts the platform’s 48-hour duty, and the FTC enforces it. AboutUs accepts adult matters only; anything involving a minor goes to NCMEC and law enforcement.
- Where it fits
- Non-consensual intimate images, AI deepfake intimate images, and known identical copies on covered platforms.
- Limit
- Applies only to covered platforms and to images that meet the Act’s definitions. Leaked paid content is often a copyright matter instead.
DMCA §512
Copyright as a removal option.
Copyright can apply where you own the work and it was copied. It is separate from privacy or safety claims.
- Where it fits
- Original photos, videos, and paid content you own, where ownership can be documented privately.
- Limit
- It is not a privacy law, and we do not use it as one.
Platform policy · Section 230
Platform rules, kept in their lane.
Platform rules on abuse, harassment, impersonation, privacy, and adult content can apply alongside the law. Outside a specific legal duty, the platform decides under its own rules.
- Where it fits
- Harassment, impersonation, threats, doxxing, sexual content the platform bans, and repeat exposure.
- Limit
- Policy review is up to the platform unless a separate legal duty applies.
Limited results
Limited results, labeled honestly.
When the source can’t be removed, limited work — such as a search delisting — can still reduce exposure. It is labeled as a limited result, never sold as removal.
- Where it fits
- Situations where the source can’t be removed, is outside the law’s reach, or belongs with a lawyer.
- Limit
- A limited result is labeled that way in your case file.
Before AboutUs accepts work
The general law becomes a written scope.
Read this section: The general law becomes a written scope.
This page covers the general rules: which laws exist, the official sources, and their limits. What fits your case is decided privately and written down before any work starts.
The key rule here: 48-hour covered-platform duty. The platform’s 48 hours start only after a valid request about a non-consensual intimate image. They are the platform’s duty, not an AboutUs deadline.
Law
Which law or rule applies?
- What we look at
- A legal deadline for platforms, an official source, a platform rule, a referral, a limited result, or no work at all.
- What you get
- One plain label before AboutUs accepts work.
Private
What stays private?
- What we look at
- The answer for your case, your evidence notes, and the limits.
- What you get
- This page stays general.
Record
How do you know the work happened?
- What we look at
- What was sent, when, which option was used, what came back, and your case file.
- What you get
- A private record you can check without re-sharing anything sensitive.
Next
What if the law doesn’t reach far enough?
- What we look at
- An official report, a different rule, a limited result, advice to see a lawyer, or closing the case.
- What you get
- A written answer, not a vague progress update.
The law
TAKE IT DOWN Act
A covered platform's 48-hour duty to remove a reported non-consensual intimate image or deepfake after a valid request.
The law
DMCA §512
Notice-and-takedown where ownership and copying can be documented privately.
The law
Platform policies
Each platform's own safety and privacy rules, which can apply even where no law does.
The law
Search-only results
Work that only changes search results is labeled as a limited result, never sold as a removal.
Where the Act stops
The law has edges. Other options may remain.
The Act’s removal duty is enforced by the FTC against covered platforms; its criminal offenses are prosecuted by federal authorities. A site with no U.S. presence may ignore a request, and enforcement against it may be difficult. That does not end the review. Other laws, platform rules, limited results, and referrals to a lawyer are kept separate, and your written review says which options look available, which are limited, and which we should not sell you.
Another law or rule
Some cases still have a clear option even when the Act does not cover the whole situation.
Private facts
Some answers depend on facts that aren’t visible on the page. Those stay private in your case file.
Policy or referral
Platform rules, safety policies, a lawyer, or an official referral can matter when a statute is not enough.
Limited result
Limited work, such as a search delisting, can still help. It is labeled as limited, never sold as removal.
This page shows the categories. Your written scope says which one applies to your case.