Take It Down Act Requires Platforms to Remove Nonconsensual Imagery Within 48 Hours

A federal law requiring social networks to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery within 48 hours is now in force. The Take It Down Act, signed by President Donald Trump in May 2025, criminalized distribution of such material and added a takedown requirement that began applying on May 19, 2026.

Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson sent letters to more than a dozen companies ahead of the deadline. The list included Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Automattic, Bumble, Discord, Match Group, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, SmugMug, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.

The letters instructed platforms to provide an easy request process and to remove both the reported content and any known identical copies.

Companies that violate the 48-hour removal rule can face civil penalties of more than $53,000 per violation. Several major platforms had previously expressed support for the law. Meta, Microsoft, Google, TikTok, and Snap said they were prepared to comply.

Snap stated that the law aligns with its existing safety efforts. Meta head of women’s safety Cindy Southworth said the company has long worked to remove intimate image abuse and has developed tools to detect it. TikTok US spokesperson Mahsau Cullinane said the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy for nonconsensual intimate imagery and offers reporting tools.

X has also supported the law despite past incidents involving sexually explicit AI-generated images on the platform.

Some advocacy groups have raised questions about how the law will be applied. Mary Anne Franks, president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, said the law could be enforced unevenly. She expressed concern that it might be used against certain platforms or types of content.

The law’s criminal provision has already been used in one case. The Justice Department reported a conviction of an Ohio man who created sexually explicit AI deepfakes to harass victims. It remains unclear whether the takedown requirement covers all forms of AI-generated imagery or privately produced content.