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Intimate image taken before you were 18: Take It Down

Checked on 15 October 2026 Official source : takeitdown.ncmec.org

Take It Down is a free, anonymous service from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a US child protection organisation. It helps remove or block, on participating platforms, nude, partially nude or sexual photos or videos of you taken before you were 18. It is never your fault.

Important : If someone threatens you or asks for more images, do not send anything else: keep the messages and tell a trusted adult and the police right away.

Who it is for

People who have, on their own device, a photo or video like this taken when they were under 18 and who believe it has been or could be posted online – whether they are still minors or adults now.

Time frame

The fingerprint is added to NCMEC’s list as soon as you submit it; participating platforms then check regularly. Because the service is anonymous, you will not be told if the image is found.

Cost

Free.

Legal basis

This is not a legal remedy but a free technical tool from NCMEC. According to NCMEC, an intimate image of someone under 18 may be considered child sexual abuse material in some jurisdictions; in the US, the TAKE IT DOWN Act also punishes publishing it, under certain conditions.

The steps

  1. Talk to a trusted adult (parent, family member, teacher or school nurse); if you are an adult now, to someone you trust. You do not have to face this alone.
  2. Do not download the image, send it or ask anyone to send it to you in order to use the service: it only works with images already on your device.
  3. On takeitdown.ncmec.org (also in French and Spanish), follow the steps and select the image: a digital fingerprint is calculated on your device; the image is never sent or seen by anyone.
  4. Participating platforms use that fingerprint to find the image on their public or unencrypted services and remove it.
  5. Also tell the police. If someone is threatening or blackmailing you with the image, make a report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline (report.cybertip.org), even if you have already used Take It Down.
  6. After your request, do not post these images on social media: they could be flagged and your account blocked.

What to prepare

Official links

The limits you should know

  • It only works on participating platforms (list on the website) and not on encrypted services, such as some messaging apps.
  • It cannot stop the image being posted on other sites, and platforms may find it hard to remove older posts.
  • You need to have the image on your device.
  • Because the service is anonymous, it does not tell you the results.
  • Take It Down does not replace reporting to the police.

This information helps you use your rights. It doesn’t replace advice from a lawyer.