Someone Shared Your Intimate Photos Without Permission. Here’s What the Law Says.

First — none of this is your fault. Not even a little.

If someone shared intimate photos or videos of you without your permission, that’s called nonconsensual distribution of intimate images (NCDII) — sometimes called “revenge porn,” though that name undersells how serious it actually is. And here’s what you need to know: 48 states had passed laws explicitly making this a crime as of recent research — and that number has since grown. As of 2025, all 50 states and Washington D.C. now have laws on the books, though the exact wording and penalties vary significantly by state. Wherever you live in the U.S., there’s almost certainly a law that applies to what happened to you.

So yes, you can go to the police. What was done to you isn’t just mean or embarrassing — in most cases, it’s a criminal act.

Federal law also has your back. The Department of Justice explains that under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, you can bring a civil action in federal court against the person who shared those images. That means you can sue them — not just report them. And it covers photos, explicit pictures, recorded videos, and other depictions.

Platforms also have to respond. Federal law gives you the right to demand that websites and apps remove nonconsensual intimate images. You don’t have to just hope a platform does the right thing — you can formally demand it.

This also covers AI-generated images. If someone used artificial intelligence to create fake intimate images of you without your consent, the FTC notes that laws may apply to that too. The law is catching up to the technology.

If this is happening to you right now, document everything before reporting it — note the post, the profile, and the date. If you’re a minor or the images involve anyone under 18, talk to a trusted adult or attorney before saving or screenshotting explicit content, as handling such images — even as evidence — can have its own legal complications. Then report it to the platform directly, file a police report, and know that you have real legal options beyond just asking nicely for it to be taken down. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (cybercivilrights.org) also offers free, confidential support specifically for this situation.