Appleton, WI — Starting Tuesday, social media platforms, messaging apps, and image-sharing services must begin complying with the Take It Down Act, a federal law that requires them to remove nonconsensual intimate images, whether authentic or AI-generated deepfakes, within 48 hours of a valid report.
The legislation, signed into law in 2025, aims to address the growing problem of digitally manipulated sexual content shared without consent. Enforcement falls to the Federal Trade Commission, which will collect complaints about noncompliant platforms but does not handle content removal directly.
Victims must first use each platform’s built-in reporting tools. On services such as Instagram and X, users typically tap a three-dot menu on a post and select options related to nonconsensual or sexually explicit material. If the platform fails to act or if reporting tools are unavailable, individuals can file a complaint with the FTC through its online portal.
“The FTC allows individuals to report nonconsensual intimate imagery involving themselves or their children,” according to guidance from the agency. Reports may also be submitted on a victim’s behalf with consent.
Officials recommend that affected people also contact local law enforcement and the FBI’s online tipline when appropriate. Sexually explicit material involving minors is treated as child sexual abuse material and carries stricter requirements, including reporting to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline.
The FTC maintains its own website for submitting reports when platforms do not remove the material. If an image reappears after initial removal, victims can file a new takedown request with the platform.
FTC representatives directed inquiries to the agency’s press release and offered no additional comment on enforcement plans. The law applies to both real photographs and videos as well as AI-generated or digitally altered content.
Additional resources exist for victims. StopNCII.org, operated in partnership with the Revenge Porn Helpline, lets users create a digital fingerprint of an image on their own device so participating platforms can detect and block future uploads.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also operates its own Take It Down service for cases involving minors. People who know of existing pornographic images of children are encouraged to use that tool in addition to reporting to platforms.
Platform obligations under the new law are clear: valid reports must result in removal within two days. The FTC may pursue enforcement actions against companies that show patterns of noncompliance based on the complaints it receives.
Advocates note that the law provides a uniform national standard after years of varying state rules and inconsistent platform policies. Victims previously often faced lengthy delays or outright refusals when requesting removal of intimate images shared without permission.
According to the CNET reporting on the law’s rollout, every major platform is expected to have comparable reporting mechanisms in place. The legislation covers social media, messaging services, and dedicated image or video sharing applications.
Individuals who believe their content has been improperly handled can continue to pursue civil remedies or criminal complaints in addition to using the new federal process. The FTC has indicated it will monitor compliance closely in the coming months.
Broader implications include potential fines or other penalties for platforms that repeatedly ignore valid requests. The law’s focus on both authentic and synthetic imagery reflects the rapid evolution of technology that makes creating realistic deepfakes easier than ever.