Start with safety and a small evidence record
If someone threatens to share an intimate image, or has already posted one, you do not need to prove a criminal offence before asking for removal or support. If there is immediate danger, call 999. If safe, record the page URL, account name, date and time, messages and any platform report number. Do not forward the image to friends, upload it to a public forum or pay a person who promises to erase every copy. A trusted person can help with forms without taking control of your choices.
If another person monitors your phone or accounts, use a safe device and think carefully about notifications from a report. You may want to change passwords and enable account security, but do not let account work delay urgent help. A screenshot of a page can preserve context, yet repeated downloading can expose you to distress and extra copies. Ask the Revenge Porn Helpline or police how best to retain evidence in your situation.
Make a platform report for each location
Use the site's non-consensual intimate imagery or privacy reporting form. Supply the direct URL and explain that the person shown did not consent to the sharing. Include the account or post identifier, not unnecessary copies of the file. Keep the acknowledgement, date and case number. If a site requests identity information, check why it needs it and how the service will handle it. The Helpline's reporting directory helps find platform and adult-site routes.
One removal does not necessarily remove mirrors, reposts, cached results or material on another service. Report each known location separately and ask a platform whether it can prevent reuploads under its policy. A search engine may remove a result from search without deleting the host's copy. If a provider refuses or you cannot find a route, retain the response and seek specialist help. Avoid posting new links to the material in a public campaign, which can increase its reach.
What the 48-hour law requires
Section 100 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 amended the UK-wide Online Safety Act 2023. It requires regulated services to operate systems for reporting defined intimate-image content and, where a qualifying report is made, to take it down as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 48 hours, subject to the Act's conditions. The section commenced on 29 June 2026. Section 101 made consequential changes. This is a duty on an in-scope service, not a personal guarantee about every image everywhere.
If a report is not acted on, keep the original submission, timestamps and reply; use the service's complaints route and ask the Helpline for help. Do not assert that a private recipient or an out-of-scope site automatically breaches the 48-hour duty. Ofcom regulates the online-safety regime; it does not replace platform reporting or police. The 2026 Act summary distinguishes this operative duty from sections that remain prospective.
The Revenge Porn Helpline's role
The Revenge Porn Helpline supports adults aged 18 or over in the UK who face intimate-image abuse or a threat to share. It can discuss options, help with reporting content and offer non-judgmental support. It is not a police force, court or guarantee of total removal. Tell staff about any safety concern, extortion or threat to expose you to an employer or family; they can help plan a response without requiring an instant decision on police reporting.
The older phrase ‘revenge porn’ can be misleading because abuse can involve control, humiliation, profit or threats without a former relationship. You may describe it simply as intimate-image abuse. The support route does not depend on using a particular label. If the affected person was under 18 when the image was created, seek a child-protection route instead of an adult tool; do not upload the material elsewhere. UK help lists further specialist and nation-specific services.
StopNCII: what a hash can and cannot do
StopNCII.org lets an adult generate a hash, a digital fingerprint, of a chosen image or video on their own device. The image itself stays on the device; the hash can be shared with participating platforms, which look for matches and apply their policies. This can help prevent or remove matching uploads on participating services. Read its eligibility and privacy information before using it. Do not send a file to an impersonator claiming to be the service.
A hash cannot guarantee removal from a non-participating site, a private device or every altered version. It is not the same as the statutory registration framework enabled by section 103 of the 2026 Act. That section commenced on 29 June 2026, but its commencement alone does not prove an individual registry is operational. StopNCII is an existing independent support tool; ask the Helpline whether it fits your circumstances.
Police reporting and healthcare are separate
Police.uk explains how to report intimate-image abuse. Use 999 for immediate danger and the local force's non-emergency route otherwise. Bring safe records of threats, URLs and platform actions, but do not circulate the image unnecessarily. The police may ask for evidence and assess the offence applicable to the relevant nation and date. A decision to report can coexist with an urgent takedown request; one process need not await the other.
If the abuse is tied to assault, coercion or threats, healthcare and a sexual-assault service can offer support independently of a police case. If you are worried about work or family discovering the image, discuss privacy with a support worker before contacting others. A solicitor can advise on a civil remedy, criminal-law issue or cross-border dispute. The digital-consent guide explains the offences in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Common questions about removal
Can a search engine remove the original? Removing a result can reduce discovery but does not itself delete the host copy. Can StopNCII see my image? Its service says hashing happens on the device; participating platforms receive the fingerprint, not the original file from that process. Does it work everywhere? No. Must I call police before contacting a platform or the Helpline? No. Does a 48-hour rule start when I first notice a post? The statutory duty depends on a qualifying report to a regulated provider and its conditions.
What if the person says they once had permission? Consent to make or receive an image is separate from consent to share it. What if the image was synthetic? Specific offences and platform policies may apply; the facts matter. Can one service guarantee permanent erasure? No. Keep a record of new appearances and ask for continuing support rather than accepting a promise no provider can make.
UK help and legal information
Start with the Revenge Porn Helpline for adult UK support, the platform's own report form, and StopNCII if eligible. UK help lists additional routes. Call 999 for immediate danger; contact the local police force for non-emergency reporting. Citizens Advice or a solicitor in the relevant nation can help with a specific legal question.
Start with intimate-image offences, digital consent and deepfake intimate images if an unfamiliar term appears in a platform form.
The 48-hour systems duty and the nation's image offences were checked on legislation.gov.uk on 3 October 2026. Check current guidance if reporting later. Your need for care and support does not depend on satisfying every element of a criminal offence. This guide is legal information, not legal advice.