How Can I Remove Stolen Private Photos?

DMCA.com handles cases everyday where someone has found their personal private photo(s) online. Often stolen from email, phones, laptops or even cameras these photos find end up on a website without your permission.

If this has happened to you we can help. DMCA.com has been very successful at getting this kind of infringement taken down from most of the popular adult websites on the internet.

If someone has gained access to your email,computer files, handicam or camera and published them on the internet without your permission DMCA.com can get them removed.

What can you do when private photos are posted on a website without your permission?

1. Don't Panic. Respond quickly. The faster the better. Be confident. Get help.
2. Contact the police - especially if:
1. You or the person in the photo or video were underage.
2. The perpetrator of this crime is known to you and you never gave permission for the photos to be shared.
3. Note: Often the authorities can help with the perpetrators of the crime but are unable to act if the photos/videos have been uploaded to servers located outside their legal jurisdiction. Be prepared to deal with getting your photos/videos taken down as a separate issue.
3. Do not become a victim of extortion! Do not send money or a photo of your ID to hosting companies or website owners in order to get your photo removed. This is a serious act of privacy violation and not required within any takedown process, anywhere. If you must pay to have your photo taken offline it is extortion or a bribe under most laws. If you must pay or follow some other bizarre process to have your photo taken offline do so with a lawyer, inform the police and where possible, have an internet specialist with you. Do not pay money to anyone - do not give in to blackmail. If you pay them once they will come back again and again.
4. Find as many copies and versions as you can. You are the best person to identify this photo. Often it will be cropped or altered in some way so often you can identify it the quickest. Make a list. Like a weed if you can get at the source, you can stop it from spreading. Often only one website was the source of the uploaded photo or video. It is important to get it removed from there and move on to the other sites, if there are any.
1. It's wrong to assume that once your photo or video is off one website the issue is resolved. It could have been copied and uploaded somewhere else. The longer the photo has been up the more likely it has spread to other networks and websites.
5. Begin Processing (DMCA) Takedowns immediately! The faster the better. Do it now! Staying on top of getting your photo taken down means you can stop or slow the spread. You can conduct takedowns yourself (DMCA.com has a very inexpensive DIY Program), use a lawyer or use a service like DMCA.com Professional Takedown Service. Regardless of the method you use, the quicker the better. Processing takedown can also help any legal action you have started or will start later. If you choose to conduct the process yourself here are a few important tips:
1. Follow the (DMCA) Takedown process of website where you have found the photos or video exactly. If the website has its own policy follow that.
2. Do not be emotional in your description or request for removal.
3. Do not tell a story or give background or incident details.
4. Clearly the state facts related to the photo or photo usage - it's your photo, or you are in it and you did not give permission to be used in this manner or you own the copyright.
5. Stop the source. Find out where the photo came from and make sure no more theft of your photos can occur. If the photo is on your email, mobile, camera, laptop etc. make sure to remove access to the internet. If someone has gained access to your mobile or cell phone, email, computer files, GoPro, camera or iCloud storage and published your nude photos on the internet without your permission change your passwords and remove the photo.

If you have questions about your situation, we can help. Submit your takedown questions here: www.videosoftinc.com/question. Be as detailed as possible. Include as many links as possible. Include complete details on content ownership and source.

What is a DMCA Takedown and how does it help me get my photos removed?

The DMCA Takedown is a well accepted internet standard followed by website owners and internet service providers everywhere. When content is removed from a website at the request of the owner of the content. Any owner of content has the right to process a takedown notice against a website owner and/or an Online Service Provider (e.g. ISP, hosting company etc.) if the content owner's property is found online without their permission.

DMCA Fast Tip

A DMCA Takedown does not always require the photo to be copyrighted in order to process a takedown notice and it to be removed. The fact the photo is yours, or if the subject is you, can be reason enough to process a takedown notice AND for it to be taken down.

What do I need to provide to have my private photos removed?

For takedowns there is three main things you will need to provide:

1. Stolen or Infringing URL(s)

Questions to answer when providing the stolen photo links:

1. Where on the internet is your stolen photo located?
2. What is the link that you want the photo removed from?
3. Was the photo on a social media website?

Make certain to provide the exact photo link you want taken down.

An example link would look like: https://www.badguy_site.com/webpage/image_2

2. Original or Source URL(s)

Questions to answer when providing the original photos:

1. Where was the photo located when it was stolen?
2. Was it from your own website?
3. Was it on you social media profile like Instagram or Reddit?

Make certain to provide the exact URL where it was stolen from, even if the photo has already been removed from it's original location. The original URL is still valuable to the notice. If it was not online you can reference cell phone, computer, or camera etc. If it was online such as a website or cloud storage provide the link to the exact page it was stolen from. You can upload the original photo to a cloud storage service and provide that URL with an expalanation of where it was originally stolen from.

An example link would look like: https://share.icloud.com/photos/my_original_photo

3. Description of the Theft and Ownership

Questions to answer when writing out the description:

1. What is the photo owner's name and how was the photo stolen?
2. Who is claiming ownership of the photo?
3. Who is authorized to file the DMCA Takedown?
4. When did you create the photo and when was the photo stolen?
5. How is this photo yours?
6. How do you own it?
7. Did you create it, buy it, copyright it?

An example description would sound like: "My photo I took of myself on my camera was stolen from my Google Drive and was posted on this website without my knowledge and I would like it removed."

If you are unsure how to collect the information for these three categories the Professional Takedown Team at DMCA.com can help with the answers. Click here to ask us about your situation.

DMCA Takedown Testimonial

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How long will it take to complete the Takedown form to remove stolen private photos from a website?

The DMCA.com Takedown claim form takes about 3 minutes to fill out. We do the rest for you. Our goal at DMCA.com is to make the process as fast and easy as possible.

How long until my private photos are taken down?

The length of time for the photo to be taken down from a website can be hours or days. It depends on the site and conditions of the takedown notice.

One of the advantages of using a professional company like DMCA.com is experience and expertise in building and processing takedown notices.

1. Experience means - the team is familiar with the site where your photo is located and will know what it takes to get the photo removed quickly.
2. Expertise means - getting it right the first time. It is critical to get notice process right the first time to not waste time in the getting the photo removed.

If you need answers about time, simply add a note to ask your takedown professional to provide you an estimate of the time it will take to get your photo down.

What if my private photos are on more than one website?

Most takedown notices contain several websites or platforms. Our takedown signup form has all the space you need to add as many links as you want.

Our team is familiar with the process of multiple website takedown notices. They will help guide you through what you need to do and know.

If there is one site in particular that is of the most concern for you make sure and highlight that when you sign up for your takedown. It will help the team prioritize the work they need to do for you case.

What if I don't have the original photos?

Not having the original photos can make the issue more complex, however it is a common problem.

Our team is familiar with the process of missing source information for takedown notices. They will help guide you through what you need to do and fix.

Please clearly indicate why this information is not available to add to your takedown form.

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4. What is DMCA.com
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