The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a 2025 US federal law requiring covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, within 48 hours of a valid request.
Signed on 19 May 2025 (S.146, 119th Congress), the Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of an identifiable person without consent — whether authentic or computer-generated 'digital forgeries' — and to threaten to do so, with tougher penalties where the person depicted is a minor.
Section 3 requires covered platforms — public websites, apps and online services that primarily host user-generated content — to provide a clear process for victims to request removal, and to remove the image and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request. Platforms had until 19 May 2026 to comply. The Federal Trade Commission enforces the removal duty and takes complaints about platforms that ignore valid requests.
In practice
For victims, the Act turns a policy report into a legal duty with a deadline. A valid request is written and signed by the person depicted or someone authorised to act for them, identifies the image and where to find it, briefly explains why it was shared without consent, and gives contact details. Sites outside US reach that ignore it still need host, registrar and search-engine routes. Free tools — StopNCII.org, and NCMEC's Take It Down for anyone under 18 — are worth using first.
Source: S.146, 119th Congress (TAKE IT DOWN Act) — signed 19 May 2025 ↗
Related removals
- Intimate image abuse — Free confidential assessment, pay on success
- Leaked content — Free confidential assessment, pay on success
Related terms
- NCII (non-consensual intimate imagery) — NCII (non-consensual intimate imagery) means nude or sexual images or videos of a person shared, or threatened to be shared, without their consent — including AI-generated fakes.
- Deepfake — A deepfake is AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video content that resembles a real person, place or event and would falsely appear to be authentic.
- Sextortion — Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which someone threatens to share intimate images of a person unless they pay money, send more images or comply with other demands.
- Section 230 — Section 230 is the US federal law that generally shields websites and platforms from liability for content posted by their users and protects their good-faith moderation decisions.