If intimate images or videos of you are online without your consent, you are not at fault, and U.S. law has moved a long way in your favor. Since 2025 there is a federal crime for publishing them, and since May 2026 there is federal enforcement behind it.
The Take It Down Act
Signed in May 2025, the Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. It also places duties on websites, apps and platforms that host user content: covered platforms must act on a valid notice from the person depicted within 48 hours, and make reasonable efforts to deal with known identical copies. The Federal Trade Commission began enforcing those platform duties on May 19, 2026, with civil penalties for non-compliance.
A federal civil claim too
Separate from the criminal side, federal law (15 U.S.C. § 6851) gives people whose intimate images were shared without consent the right to bring a civil lawsuit in federal court. That matters because it lets a victim pursue the person who shared the material, not just ask for it to come down.
State laws fill in the rest
Nearly every state now has its own law against sharing intimate images without consent, and many cover deepfakes. The details differ: what counts as an intimate image, whether intent to harm must be shown, and what penalties apply. Our guides for Chicago and Illinois and California show how much a single state can add.
What U.S. law does not give you
The United States has no general right to be forgotten, and Section 230 shields most platforms from liability for what their users post, apart from specific carve-outs like the laws above. That is why results differ so much from case to case. We explain the wider picture in why the U.S. has no right to be forgotten.
Beware of instant-deletion promises
Scammers target people in exactly this situation, promising immediate deletion for a fee. No one can honestly guarantee that content will never reappear. If someone is blackmailing you, stop engaging, keep the messages, and report it to law enforcement. If the person in the images was under 18, report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the police straight away.
Where to get support
The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs a crisis helpline for victims of image-based abuse, and your local police or the FBI can take reports of criminal conduct. A lawyer experienced in privacy law can advise on civil claims, and a specialist can handle the day-to-day work so you do not have to look at the material again. This is general information, not legal advice, and laws change.
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