U.S. Tech Platforms Begin Compliance With Take It Down Act on May 19

U.S. must provide a way for people to report nonconsensual intimate images and videos. The requirement stems from the Take It Down Act, which passed last year with bipartisan support. The law applies to social media, gaming platforms, and other online services, according to guidance from the Federal Trade Commission. The commission is responsible for enforcing platform compliance.

Wired contacted 14 companies that disclosed federal lobbying spending on the act. Several stated support for the legislation and described their reporting procedures. Some companies host forms on third-party sites or delayed launch of their reporting systems until the law took effect. At least two platforms updated support pages after Wired reached out.

A valid request must include a link to the content, a statement that the upload was nonconsensual, a signature, and contact information. Platforms have up to 48 hours to review and remove qualifying material. Several major platforms participate in the StopNCII tool, which uses matching algorithms to identify reported images.

Reddit, TikTok, Snap, Microsoft Bing, and Meta platforms are listed participants. "The reporting piece of this is one of the most important pieces" of the Take It Down Act, says Jennifer King, a fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

Meta stated it has been compliant for several months and offers a help page for Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Meta AI. Microsoft provides a "Report a Concern" form for Bing Search and OneDrive. Google maintains a dedicated form allowing up to 10 links per submission and a separate YouTube form.

Reddit updated its systems and will add a reporting form on May 19. Snap offers a general report form with specific options for nonconsensual intimate imagery. A LinkedIn spokesperson said the platform maintains zero tolerance for nonconsensual content.