Your ex posted intimate photos of you: what to do now
Maybe a friend messaged you a link. Maybe a stranger recognized you. Maybe your ex told you outright what they had done, or threatened to do it, after things ended. However you found out, the feeling is the same: something private, shared with someone you trusted, is now somewhere it was never meant to be. If your ex posted intimate photos of you, the first thing to know is that this is not your fault, and it is not a private embarrassment you have to absorb quietly. It is abuse, it is illegal, and there is a lot you can do about it.
This post is about real images shared by someone you know. If the pictures were faked with AI, our guide to fake nude images made with AI covers that situation. If a stranger is demanding money, read what to do when a scammer threatens to share your photos instead.
Take a breath before you do anything else
The urge is to get it gone this second, or to message your ex and demand they take it down. Both are understandable. Pause on the second one. Confronting them can push them to repost elsewhere, delete their own trail, or escalate. You don’t owe them a conversation. What helps most right now is a few quiet, deliberate steps in the right order.
If you feel unsafe, or your ex has threatened you physically, treat that as the priority. Call 911 in an emergency. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative helpline (844-878-2274) is free, confidential, and set up for exactly this.
Capture proof first, even though it’s painful
Before you report anything, save a record of where the images appear. Take screenshots that show the image, the account that posted it, the date, and the full web address. Copy the URLs into a note. Save any messages where your ex mentions the photos, threatens you, or admits to posting them. Those messages are often the strongest evidence you’ll have, because they tie a specific person to the act.
You don’t have to look at every image closely to do this, and you can ask someone you trust to help. Store everything in one folder somewhere your ex has never had access to. Our guide to preserving evidence walks through doing it properly so it holds up later.
You have a legal right to have it removed
Under the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, as of May 19, 2026, social media sites, messaging apps, and image and video platforms must offer a way to request removal of intimate images shared without consent, and must take them down, along with known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC explains what that means for you and is actively enforcing it.
Look for the platform’s reporting option for non-consensual intimate images, not a general “harassment” flag. Identify yourself, say the images were shared without your consent, and include the links. Keep a copy of each request and note the date and time you sent it. If a platform ignores you past 48 hours, that is worth reporting to the FTC.
Stop the copies from spreading
Once an image is out, it can resurface. StopNCII.org lets you create a digital fingerprint of the image on your own device, without uploading the photo itself, and shares that fingerprint with participating platforms so they can block matches. If you were under 18 in any of the images, use NCMEC’s Take It Down service, which works the same way.
For images that turn up on search engines, Google and Bing both have request forms to remove non-consensual intimate content from results. It is also worth a quiet search of your name every few weeks for a while.
Reporting it as a crime
Knowingly publishing someone’s intimate images without consent is now a federal crime, and nearly every state has its own law as well. Because you likely know exactly who did this, a police report can carry real weight. Bring your folder of screenshots, links, and messages. If the officer you speak to seems unsure, ask whether the department has someone who handles cyber or domestic violence cases.
If your ex was a partner, this can also support a protective order, since many states treat sharing intimate images as a form of domestic abuse. A local domestic violence advocate or an attorney can tell you what applies where you live, and some victims also have grounds for a civil claim.
Lock down what your ex may still reach
People who share images after a breakup often still have some access to your life: a shared cloud account, an old password, a family plan, a location-sharing app. Change passwords on your email and cloud storage, turn on two-factor sign-in, sign out of every other device, and check which devices are linked to your accounts. If you suspect they’re tracking you, our guide to checking for stalkerware on your phone is a calm place to start.
Sometimes the images appear from an account that isn’t obviously your ex, and knowing who is behind it matters for a police report or a protective order. That is where careful investigation can help connect a burner account to a real person. But most people get meaningful relief from the steps above: proof saved, takedowns filed, fingerprints shared, and a report on record. You trusted someone. They broke that trust. None of this is yours to carry alone.
— Gus