How to Report Revenge Porn: Legal Pathways and Removal Steps

Knowing how to report revenge porn effectively combines fast platform-level removal with criminal prosecution and civil action. Victims often hesitate because of shame, fear of further exposure, or uncertainty about whether their case "counts" but every report contributes to platform safety, helps identify organized perpetrators, and creates the legal record needed for both removal and recovery. Acting within the first 48 hours significantly increases the chance of full removal before the content spreads to additional platforms and becomes harder to trace. This guide walks through the reporting workflow that produces results, in the order that produces results, and connects you with the right support resources.

Recognize That You Have Legal Standing

Revenge porn is a crime regardless of whether you consented to the original creation of the image, whether you were in a relationship with the person who distributed it, or whether you sent the image yourself. Your age, gender, or specific jurisdiction does not change your legal standing, though specific laws vary by country. The crime is the distribution without your consent. Once that happens, you have full legal standing to pursue removal, criminal prosecution, and civil damages.

Preserve Evidence Before Anything Else

Resist the urge to delete or hide the content. Effective reporting requires complete evidence.

• Screenshot every page where the content appears (URL, upload date, uploader, view count)
• Save the URLs in a master list with discovery date
• Record uploader profile pages (URL, bio, claimed identity, post history)
• Document any DMs, messages, or threats from the uploader
• Note all payment demands if extortion is part of the situation
• Save communications with the original recipient (if known and applicable)
• Compute file hashes (SHA-256) of any copies you obtain these are powerful identifiers

Cloud storage + local copy + printed packet. This is your legal foundation. This evidence package serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it supports your platform removal requests, forms the basis of your police report, and becomes the foundation of any civil lawsuit. Keep originals intact and never delete anything, even content that feels embarrassing or incriminating. Courts and platforms need to see the full picture, and gaps in evidence create gaps in your case.

Report to Law Enforcement First

Police reports come before or alongside platform reports, not after. The police report creates the official record that supports all subsequent steps.

United States:

• File with local police (especially if you live near or know the perpetrator)
• File with FBI IC3 for federal-level investigation
• 48 states + DC have specific revenge porn laws; federal law applies to interstate distribution

United Kingdom:

• Report to local police
• File with Action Fraud
• Revenge Porn Helpline available for support

Other countries:

• National cybercrime units in EU, Canada, Australia, NZ, etc.
• Most jurisdictions now have specific NCII statutes

Provide your evidence packet, the perpetrator's identifiable information, and any platform report references. Request a case number and follow-up contact. Knowing how to report revenge porn to the right authorities significantly increases the chance of identifying and prosecuting the perpetrator. Even if the perpetrator is overseas or using a fake identity, combined victim reports tracing the same wallet address, IBAN, or platform account have led to arrests in multiple countries. Law enforcement can subpoena platform records that you cannot access yourself, making their involvement essential in cases where the perpetrator's identity is unknown.

Submit Platform-Specific Removal Requests

Every major platform has a dedicated NCII removal flow. Use these, not general harassment reports, for fastest removal.

• Google Search: Removal request for explicit personal content
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram): Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery report
• TikTok: Non-consensual intimate content
• X/Twitter: Non-consensual nudity
• Reddit: Privacy violation
• Adult sites (Pornhub, xHamster, xVideos, etc.): Most have dedicated NCII forms with priority processing
• Image hosts (Imgur, etc.): Take-down request with personal claim

Submit on every platform simultaneously, each processes independently and sequential waiting wastes critical time. Keep a log of every submission with the date, platform, and confirmation number. If a platform responds with "no violation found," re-submit under a different category or escalate to their legal department directly. Adult sites often have slower response times but are legally obligated to respond to valid NCII requests.

Use StopNCII for Preventive Hash Blocking

StopNCII is one of the most powerful tools available.

• Hash your private content locally, the original never leaves your device
• Partner platforms (Meta, TikTok, Bumble, OnlyFans, Pornhub, Reddit, and others) check uploads against the hash list
• Matching uploads are blocked or removed automatically
• Works for both already-leaked content and content you fear might be leaked

This catches re-uploads that human reporting could never keep up with.

Coordinate Comprehensive Removal

Doing all this alone is overwhelming, and specialist services compress weeks of work into days. Professional services maintain direct escalation channels with platform trust and safety teams, submit hundreds of takedown notices in parallel, and run re-upload monitoring with automated re-submissions. When platforms refuse, DMCA notices go to hosting providers directly. Legal coordination for civil cases is also available. Revenge porn removal services exist for exactly this scope.

Pursue Civil Damages

Criminal prosecution punishes the perpetrator; civil action compensates you. You can sue for invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and defamation. In jurisdictions with specific NCII statutes, statutory damages may apply and legal fees are often recoverable. Injunctions can order the perpetrator to stop and remove all copies, and court orders can compel platform removal in extreme cases. Working with an attorney experienced in digital privacy law speeds this up significantly. If the distribution was part of a larger extortion scheme, help for extortion victims covers the additional legal options available.

Get Trauma Support

The psychological impact of revenge porn is profound. Recovery includes mental health support.

• Trauma-informed therapy
• Cyber Civil Rights Initiative crisis services
• Connect with peer support groups
• Recognize that millions have gone through similar experiences and recovered
• The shame belongs to the perpetrator, not you

Monitor for Reposts Long-Term

Initial removal is the first step; content resurfaces for months as copies migrate across the internet. Set up Google Alerts for your name and related terms, run quarterly reverse-image searches, and maintain StopNCII hash submissions. Professional reputation monitoring provides sustained surveillance for cases that require longer-term coverage. Most professional cases include 6 to 12 months of active monitoring as standard.

Take Action: You Are Not Alone

Reporting revenge porn is a sequence of clear steps: preserve evidence, file with police, submit platform takedowns, use StopNCII, pursue civil damages, and get emotional support. Each step is achievable; the combination produces removal, justice, and recovery. Payment to perpetrators never resolves the situation; it confirms you are a viable target and almost always leads to escalating demands. Specialist teams handle thousands of these cases annually with high success rates. You are not alone, the crime is theirs not yours, and help is available 24/7. Professional remove videos from internet support is available whenever you are ready to act.