New law requires platforms to honor victims' requests for removal of intimate images
The measure is intended to make it easier to provide "recourse against digital exploitation and extortion"
The Federal Trade Commission says it has started enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act (TIDA), a law requiring platforms, at the request of victims, to remove intimate photos or videos shared online without victims’ consent.
As part of its enforcement role, the FTC has launched TakeItDown.ftc.gov, a website allowing victims and survivors to submit complaints about platforms that have failed to act on valid requests for the removal of nonconsensual intimate images. The website also accepts complaints about platforms that have failed to create a process for people to request removal of these images.
“The public, especially children, will have recourse against digital exploitation and extortion,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “In the age of AI, anyone can be targeted, and that becomes even more appalling if children are involved. The TAKE IT DOWN Act empowers families and provides the FTC with an effective tool to protect minors against this form of abuse.”
Enforcement is key, lawmakers remind FTC
Lawmakers who shepherded the bill through Congress say they intend to make sure the FTC follows through.
“We request the FTC brief our offices on how it intends to enforce the Act, including updates on what mechanisms it has put into place to respond to user complaints of non-compliance, resources dedicated to investigating non-compliance and bringing cases when non-compliance is discovered, issues the FTC is seeing among online platforms with compliance, and any additional resources or authorities the FTC may require to effectively protect victims and hold non-compliant platforms accountable,” said U.S. Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), along with U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA)
The FTC is charged with enforcing Section 3 of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which set a May 19, 2026, deadline for covered platforms to give people a way to request the removal of intimate photos or videos shared online without their consent and to remove those intimate images, and known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC has published new guidance to help consumers in the event that nonconsensual intimate images of them are posted online. The FTC also issued guidance for businesses about how to ensure they are complying with the law.
Ferguson sent letters last week to major platforms—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Automattic, Bumble, Discord, Match Group, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, SmugMug, Snapchat, TikTok and X—reminding them of businesses’ obligation to comply fully with TIDA no later than May 19, 2026.