A plain-language guide to the U.S. law that makes platforms remove non-consensual intimate images — including AI deepfakes — within 48 hours, and how creators can use it alongside the DMCA.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a U.S. federal law, signed on May 19, 2025, that requires covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images — including AI-generated deepfakes — within 48 hours of a valid request, along with known identical copies. Platforms had until May 19, 2026 to set up a removal process, and the FTC now enforces it with civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation. For creators, it is the strongest tool against deepfakes and private images shared without consent. For leaks of content you sold, the DMCA remains the primary route. Traqeer uses both.
The Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act — the TAKE IT DOWN Act, Public Law 119-12 — became law on May 19, 2025. It is the first U.S. federal law aimed squarely at non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), and it works on two levels:
The rest of this guide focuses on the platform duty: what it covers, how to file a request that counts, and how it fits next to the DMCA takedowns creators already rely on.
| What | When / how much |
|---|---|
| Signed into law | May 19, 2025 |
| Deadline for platforms to have a removal process | May 19, 2026 — FTC enforcement began that day |
| Removal deadline after a valid request | As soon as possible, and no later than 48 hours |
| Identical copies | Platforms must make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies |
| FTC civil penalties | Up to $53,088 per violation |
| Complaints about platforms that don't comply | takeitdown.ftc.gov |
The Act protects an identifiable individual — someone whose face, likeness or another distinguishing characteristic appears in the image — against the publication of intimate visual depictions without consent. It explicitly covers two kinds of content:
Consent under the Act means an affirmative, conscious and voluntary authorization, free from force, fraud, duress, misrepresentation or coercion. Agreeing to create an image is not the same as agreeing to have it published.
This is where precision matters. The Act's criminal provisions exclude images that were voluntarily exposed by the person in a public or commercial setting. Content you sell on a subscription platform was published commercially, so the Act was not designed around leaks of paid content — and a removal request must rest on your good-faith statement that the image was published without consent.
Rule of thumb. Deepfakes, AI clones and private images you never published: use the Act. Leaks of content you created and sold: use the DMCA, because you own the copyright. Many cases involve both — and a takedown service should pick the right route for each link instead of forcing one.
The DMCA remains the workhorse for creators: it applies to anything you own the copyright to, it works with hosts and search engines worldwide, and Google processes copyright notices at scale. The new law fills the gap the DMCA leaves open — a fully AI-generated image may not copy any photo you own, but it is still a digital forgery of you.
A covered platform is a website, online service or app that serves the public and primarily provides a forum for user-generated content — or that regularly publishes non-consensual intimate images. The FTC names social media, messaging, image and video sharing and gaming platforms as examples. The law excludes broadband providers, email services and sites whose content is mainly preselected by the operator rather than uploaded by users.
Before the deadline, the FTC sent compliance reminders to major companies including Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, X, Reddit, Discord, TikTok and Snapchat. Platforms must also give clear and conspicuous notice of their removal process, and the FTC notes that the protections are not limited to people who hold an account on the platform.
What the law cannot do on its own is reach operators who ignore U.S. authorities. Many leak sites sit offshore. For those, the practical levers are still removal at the source through their hosting providers and removal of the pages from Google — see the guide to removing leaks from Google.
The Act defines what a valid request must contain. Every covered platform has to accept requests that include these four elements, in writing:
Then:
Because the Act accepts requests signed by an authorized representative, a takedown service can prepare and file them for you — the same way it files DMCA notices as your agent.
A platform that fails to remove a validly reported image within 48 hours is violating an FTC rule. You can:
| The Act (NCII) | DMCA | |
|---|---|---|
| What it protects | Your privacy: intimate images published without consent | Your copyright: content you created |
| AI-generated fakes | Covered explicitly as digital forgeries | Only if the fake copies material you own |
| Who can file | The person depicted or an authorized representative | The copyright owner or an authorized agent |
| Deadline | No later than 48 hours after a valid request | Hosts must act expeditiously; no fixed deadline |
| Who enforces it | The FTC (platform duty) and federal prosecutors (crimes) | Courts, through the loss of the host's safe harbor |
| Counter-notice | The Act does not set up a counter-notice procedure | Yes — content can be restored after 10-14 business days unless you sue |
| Best for | Deepfakes, AI clones, private or hacked images | Leaks of content you published or sold |
Traqeer combines the legal routes instead of relying on one:
If deepfakes or fake profiles are your main problem, start with the deepfake and fake profile removal service or the guide to removing AI clones. U.S.-based creators can also read how Traqeer protects creators in the United States.
More help: remove AI-generated nudes · what to do in the first hours · what we can remove and what we can't
Minors. If the person affected is under 18 — or the images are from when they were — Traqeer cannot take the case. Use Take It Down by NCMEC: it is free and is for images taken before the age of 18.
Take It Down (NCMEC) is a tool for minors; the Take It Down Act is the U.S. law that requires platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images of adults.
Support and reporting:
Emotional crisis: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988: call, text or chat, 24/7 (U.S.). Outside the U.S., call your local emergency number.
These organizations are independent from Traqeer.
Yes. It was signed on May 19, 2025. The criminal provisions applied from enactment, and covered platforms had until May 19, 2026 to set up their removal process — the FTC began enforcing that duty the same day.
Yes. It covers digital forgeries: intimate images created or altered with software, machine learning or AI that are indistinguishable from real ones. That includes face-swaps and AI-generated nudes of an identifiable person.
Usually the DMCA is the right tool for that. The Act's criminal provisions exclude images voluntarily exposed in a commercial setting, and a removal request requires a good-faith statement that the image is not consensual. For leaks of content you sold, a DMCA takedown based on your copyright is faster and more reliable.
Yes. The Act accepts requests signed by an authorized person acting on behalf of the individual depicted, with that representative's contact details. That is how a takedown service can file for you.
The platform is in violation of an FTC rule and can face civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation. You can report it at takeitdown.ftc.gov and keep pursuing removal from the host and from Google in parallel.
The duty falls on covered platforms that serve the public under U.S. law, and nothing in the Act limits removal requests to U.S. residents. Creators anywhere can file with those platforms; local laws in your country may add further options.
Plans start at $65/month for the first 3 months (then $129/month), with a 7-day free trial. Impersonation protection is included from the Premium plan. See pricing.
The Act accepts removal requests signed by an authorized person acting on behalf of the individual depicted (section 3(a)). After we review your case and you decide to go ahead, you sign an authorization and we file the requests with covered platforms as your representative — with the URLs, the good-faith statement and our contact details — and follow up. We do not take cases involving minors; see the note above.
Traqeer is not a law firm and this information is not legal advice; for your specific case, talk to a professional in your jurisdiction.
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