Sexual deepfakes: what you can do in France
Since May 2024, sharing without your consent a sexual montage, or a sexual image, video or audio made by AI that reproduces your face or voice, has been a criminal offence in France. It does not matter that the content is fake: that is exactly what the law targets.
Who it is for
Anyone whose image or voice has been used without consent to make sexual content (photo montage, “deepfake”, fake nude, fake voice) shown to the public or sent to someone, in France or on a site accessible in France. If you are under 18, talk to a trusted adult and the police, and also see the Take It Down guide.
Time frame
The law sets no fixed removal deadline; in the EU, the platform must handle your notice diligently (DSA).
Cost
Free (reports, police complaint). A lawyer can help but is not required.
Legal basis
French Criminal Code, Article 226-8-1 (created by Article 21 of Law No. 2024-449 of 21 May 2024, known as the SREN law): sharing without consent a sexual montage made with a person’s image or words, or sexual visual or audio content generated by an algorithm (AI) that reproduces their image or words, is punishable by 2 years in prison and a €60,000 fine, rising to 3 years and €75,000 when shared through an online service. For a non-sexual montage: Article 226-8.
The steps
- Keep evidence without re-sharing the content: URL, dated screenshots, account name, any messages.
- Report the content to the platform, stating that it is a sexual montage shared without consent, an offence under Article 226-8-1 of the French Criminal Code. In the EU, the platform must examine your notice (DSA, Article 16).
- File a complaint at a police station or gendarmerie, or by letter to the public prosecutor (procureur de la République). If you have one, a genuine photo can help show that the content is fake.
- If the content is visible to everyone and you do not know who posted it, you can also report it on PHAROS (internet-signalement.gouv.fr). In an emergency, call 17 (police in France).
- Ask Google to remove these fake images from its search results: it has a dedicated procedure for fabricated sexual content.
- If you have the file, StopNCII also accepts nude or semi-nude deepfakes of you: this helps block re-sharing on partner platforms.
What to prepare
- The exact address (URL) of each post
- Dated screenshots with the URL visible
- The name of the account posting it and any messages
- An identity document (to file a complaint)
- If possible, a genuine photo of you for comparison
Official links
- PHAROS – report illegal online content (French Ministry of the Interior)
- Google – remove personal sexual content, real or fake, from Search results
- StopNCII – help prevent re-sharing
- Service-Public.fr – how to file a police complaint in France (in French)
The limits you should know
- This offence has existed since 23 May 2024: for earlier events, other laws may apply.
- It can be hard to prove that content is fabricated: keep every useful piece of evidence.
- If the montage is not sexual, a different article applies (226-8), with lighter penalties.
- French authorities have no direct means of forcing a host based outside the European Union.
- Removal from one platform does not delete copies already shared elsewhere.
If it doesn’t work
An official form can go unanswered or be wrongly refused. That’s not the end: there are other doors, heavier but effective — the company hosting the site, the company managing its domain name, the laws of your country, the data protection authority. That’s exactly what we do for you, with your agreement.
- Reporting to the platform
- A written request to the site owner
- The domain name registrar
- The hosting company
- Search engines
- The authority or the courts
This information helps you use your rights. It doesn’t replace advice from a lawyer.