Nonconsensual pornography is sexual abuse. It is also a crime. The shame for such a cruel violation rests with the offender – not the victim.
There are a number of tools for victims to self-report image-based abuse or “revenge porn” on social media, many of which you’ll find below. To enlist a highly experienced team to support you in achieving the best possible outcome -get in touch to explore your options at 646-666-8909 or through our online contact form for a 100% confidential consultation. Orders of Protection can be a very helpful tool if you are being threatened with image abuse – you can learn more about that here.
Many major websites and tech companies have policies banning image-based sexual abuse. Below are policies and reporting mechanisms for the following:
- TikTok
- Microsoft Products (Bing, OneDrive, Xbox Live)
- Google
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Reddit
- Tumblr
- Pinterest
- Craigslist
- OK Cupid
- Hinge
- Pornhub
- XVideo
- XHamster
REMEMBER: ALWAYS TAKE SCREENSHOTS OF THE REVENGE PORN AND URL BEFORE REMOVAL!
TIP: If you are the victim of revenge porn or a stalker, you should immediately shore up your privacy and security settings on social media and other accounts. Make your Facebook and other social media accounts private and hide your friend lists. Make sure passwords to all your social media and email accounts are complex and unique. Adopt two-step authentication whenever you can.
Google announced its ban on revenge porn on June 19, 2015. Google’s removal policy extends to “nude or sexually explicit image[s] or video[s] [that have] been shared without consent. There are more detailed instructions about how to use its removal link for requests concerning nonconsensual pornography; involuntary fake pornography; and to remove content from websites with exploitative removal processes (like where a website requires you to pay money have something removed). Google will not only remove links to pornographic images, but will also take action when a person’s name or business is showing up on pornographic sites.
Note that even if Google deletes the site or image from search results, the webpage still exists and can be found through the site’s direct URL, social media sharing, or other search engines. Getting it taken out of Google’s search results does not mean it is off the internet.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON GOOGLE: Google’s form, which went live on July 9, 2015, is here.
Instagram’s ban on revenge porn, announced April 17, 2015, is a patchwork of several rules contained in its Community Guidelines. The policy also applies to threats of revenge porn. In its “Follow the law” section, Instagram states, “We have zero tolerance when it comes to sharing sexual content involving minors or threatening to post intimate images of others.” This, combined with its policy against nudity, (i.e. “[w]e don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed”) and intellectual property policy (“Remember to post authentic content, and don’t post anything you’ve copied or collected from the Internet that you don’t have the right to post”) add up to a pretty comprehensive anti-revenge porn policy.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON INSTAGRAM: Use this form to report intimate images or threats to share them. Instructions for how to report photos or profiles that go against community guidelines from within the app are here. Use this form to report photos or profiles if you do not have and Instagram account. Instagram has created instructions to help guide you if an intimate photo of you has been shared.
On March 16, 2015, Facebook rolled out its first policy against revenge porn. It is now within Facebook’s Community Standards in a section titled “Safety.” Under “Sexual Exploitation of Adults, it reads: “we remove content that depicts, threatens or promotes sexual violence, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation, while also allowing space for victims to share their experiences.” It goes on to state, “To protect victims and survivors, we also remove photographs or videos depicting incidents of sexual violence and images shared without permission from the people in the images.”
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON FACEBOOK: Facebook has created a guide to reporting nonconsensual pornography, and the link for intimate images or threats to share them is here. Facebook instructs users to report abuse by using the “Find Support or Report link that appears near the content itself.” There is also this guide on how to do this for the various specific content, including details about how to report photos and videos and what to do if a profile is locked and you cannot fully view the content. You can also report Profiles, Posts, Messages and Pages, among other site features, and this form and these tools can help you figure out the best way to report it. The process for reporting is a little different across devices, so go to this link for more information. NOTE: If Facebook finds a violation, it may warn or disable the account of the person responsible, but your information will be kept confidential.
This service from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children can help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.
On March 11, 2015, Twitter announced its new policy banning revenge porn. In the “Privacy” section of “The Twitter Rules,” it states “You may not post or share intimate photos or videos of someone that were produced or distributed without their consent.” It also prohibits threats to expose private information. The nonconsensual nudity policy and private information policy provide additional information and instructions for reporting violations.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON TWITTER: You can report images through the app, your computer, and this private information report form. It is NOT necessary to have a Twitter account to report abuse.
In February, 2015 Reddit made this announcement about its policy which went into effect on March 10, 2015. It states that “No matter who you are, if a photograph, video, or digital image of you in a state of nudity, sexual excitement, or engaged in any act of sexual conduct, is posted or linked to on reddit without your permission, it is prohibited on reddit.” Their policy was updated again last year, and NCP is now referenced as involuntary pornography, which “prohibits the dissemination of images or video depicting any person in a state of nudity or engaged in any act of sexual conduct apparently created or posted without their permission, including depictions that have been faked.”
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON REDDIT: If you are signed into Reddit, you can use this form. Select “I want to report other issues” and then choose “it’s involuntary pornography” and select whether you do or do not appear in the image. You then post the URL in the box provided and click submit. If you do not have a Reddit account, use this contact form.
Tumblr has recently banned adult content on its site. See the “Privacy Violations” section in Tumblr’s Community Guidelines, which states “Don’t upload images, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples” and “[d]on’t upload any content, including images, videos, GIFs, or illustrations, that depicts sex acts.” The privacy violation report form makes it clear: “Absolutely do not post non-consensual pornography—that is, private photos or videos taken or posted without the subject’s consent.”
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON TUMBLR: The form to report a privacy violation is here. You must provide the URL of the post, and your name and email address to report it.
Pinterest bans revenge porn. You can read their community guidelines here (“We remove porn. We may hide nudity or erotica”) and nudity policy here (“ We don’t allow mature images collected as pornographic material”).
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON PINTEREST: Information about how to report content is at this page. For photos: 1. Click on the Pin to open it; 2. Click the “three dots” menu at the top of the Pin; 3. Click Report Pin; and 4. Choose your reason for reporting, click “Next,” and then click “Done.”
Nonconsensual pornography has appeared on Craigslist. An example is an offender using another person’s photo to create a fake post that directs users to contact the individual in the photo for sex or drugs. Craigslist prohibits third party posting of personal information.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON CRAIGSLIST: To report inappropriate content, go to the contact form and select “personal harassment” and select “Other personal information (name, image, business details) is posted on craigslist.” Collect the post ID number and click on Contact us regarding your personal information” in the lower right hand corner. Click that, and a message box will pop up. Fill it out, and submit.
For OK Cupid, you can read the rules for photos here to determine whether a photo violates the site’s terms – “Nude or overly sexual photos” are not allowed.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON OK CUPID: If there is a photo you’d like to report through the website, look for either a flag icon or the “three dots” menu on the photo and click to report. Using the app, you can report photos from the profile of the person that posted it. Click the “three dot” menu icon, then “report,” and choose “bad photo,” and then choose the photo you want to report.
While Hinge does not have a specific policy addressing nonconsensual pornography, its terms prohibit content that “could reasonably be deemed to be offensive or to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person,” “is obscene, pornographic, violent or otherwise may offend human dignity, or contains nudity,” “infringes upon any third party’s rights (including, without limitation, intellectual property rights and privacy rights),” or“includes the image or likeness of another person without that person’s consent,” among other things.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON HINGE: The safety, security and privacy guidelines are here, and you can report inappropriate behavior by clicking the three dots on the top right of a profile, and selecting report. You can also send an email to hello@hinge.co.
As more and more websites devoted entirely to revenge porn are closing, we’ve seen an increase in revenge porn showing up on ordinary porn sites, particularly Pornhub. It’s essential to act quickly if a video of you is on Pornhub because it spreads fast. Pornhub takes nonconsensual pornography seriously. Pornhub will remove content that is nonconsensual, or that is being used as part of blackmail/sextortion attack. Pornhub will go so far as to remove videos or images that are tagged with personally identifying information, for example, your real name. If you have decided to remove content and it is hosted on Pornhub, removing it will remove it from numerous sites that mirror Pornhub’s content.
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON PORNHUB: Go to the content removal page and list the URLs that contain the nonconsensual content. Then answer honestly in the box marked “reason you want the content removed.”
XVideo is one of the larger non-Pornhub affiliated adult tube sites, and has an abuse reporting form “to report non copyright-related issues, such as privacy, abuse, harassment, inappropriate or illegal content.”
REPORTING REVENGE PORN ON XVIDEO: Go to the removal page and select the most descriptive category – nonconsensual pornography can fairly be described as “other” or “harassment.” You will need the URLs of the content to report it. The same form can be used for the website XNXX.
XHamster is another popular porn site that has been found to host nonconsensual pornography. They claim they will remove illegal content, so it is helpful to note that nonconsensual pornography is illegal in your jurisdiction (if true).
REVENGE PORN ON XHAMSTER: Go to the removal page and select “report inappropriate content” from the dropdown menu. Copy and paste the links into the box marked “your message.” If it is a report of nonconsensual pornography, write that in the box under the links.
XHamster is another popular porn site that has been found to host nonconsensual pornography. They claim they will remove illegal content, so it is helpful to note that nonconsensual pornography is illegal in your jurisdiction (if true).
REVENGE PORN ON XHAMSTER: Go to the removal page and select “report inappropriate content” from the dropdown menu. Copy and paste the links into the box marked “your message.” If it is a report of nonconsensual pornography, write that in the box under the links.
If you are a victim of revenge porn and want to explore your options, contact us at 646-666-8909 or through our online contact form.
We know it may feel a little intimidating to reach out to a law firm. Remember: you aren’t committing to anything by making contact here. This is just the first step to finding out more about your options.
Want to learn more? Read our FAQs here, and find lots more information about our intake process here. And check out our Firm Victories and Testimonials from previous clients, too.
Ready to take the next step? We’re waiting for your message!
