Shock, fear, embarrassment, shame; these are just a few of the emotions you might feel when you find out your explicit photos or videos have been shared online. One of the first things you’re probably wondering if this has happened to you is what do I do? 

When someone shares intimate photos of you without your consent, this is often referred to as revenge porn, though more accurate terms are nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, nonconsensual intimate imagery, and nonconsensual pornography. Though it can be very difficult emotionally to deal with such a hurtful situation, the next steps that you take can help you remove the images, regain your reputation, and take legal action. The quicker you take action, the better because you want to get those images down as soon as possible and regain your reputation. 

1. Document Everything

When you realize your images or videos have been shared, it’s very helpful to document everything, especially if you want to take legal action. Though you might be tempted to get the materials removed immediately, you won’t be able to take legal action if the images are gone and you have no proof that they had been shared. 

First, keep a detailed timeline of everything relevant to the situation. Along with this timeline, save any texts, emails, voice messages, or other communications that are relevant. When it comes to the photos, you’ll want to save evidence of them being shared. You can do this by taking screenshots, saving the URL, and saving a PDF of the webpage they are on. All of this will help you when you file a lawsuit or seek any sort of protective order. 

A revenge porn lawyer can also help you get information from the website that is hosting the images or videos regarding who posted them. They can send a preservation demand, which will inform the website that they need to gather and keep identifying information. 

2. Find and Report the Photos and Videos

Of course, you want the photos and videos taken down. As soon as you have your documentation, you can begin to work to remove the images. The first step is to report the images on the platform they’re on and request that they be taken down. Then, you need to search for your videos and images to see if they were shared elsewhere. 

Once a picture or video is out there, other people and websites can save and continue to spread it. That’s why it’s important to get it taken down as soon as possible. However, you can’t stop there. You’ll need to work to determine if your materials have been shared elsewhere. One way to do this is to search your name along with words like photo, video, pornography, nude, etc. Another way to find your images is to do a reverse image search, which is especially helpful if your images were shared without your name. Put any image that was shared of you into a reverse image search and that will reveal if it is located on any other sites as well. 

Sometimes, websites aren’t very cooperative when you ask them to take images down, especially if it’s a website dedicated to revenge porn. If this happens, you can file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) request to the website itself and a deindexing request to the website and to search engines. Doing both of these can help the materials get removed. 

3. Protect your Reputation

Having the images removed is just one step in protecting your reputation. You’ll want to ensure no additional photos are leaked. To help with this, change any passwords that the person who leaked your photos might know or be able to guess. You should also delete any intimate photos that are on shared accounts or in the cloud. Additionally, you can try to maintain your reputation by regularly monitoring search results for new images that might pop up and bolster online content and search results with positive information about yourself. 

4. Seek Support

This can be a very distressing situation for many people, and it’s imperative to find support. The effects of being a victim can be deep and long-lasting. If you have friends and family to lean on, talk to them about what is happening and let them be there for you. Additionally, it can be very helpful to seek support from a therapist or a local support group. Even if you don’t think you need to see a therapist, talking through what happened for even just a session or two might help you work through your feelings, and your therapist can provide you with signs to look out for that might signify you need some help with your mental health. 

5. Find a Lawyer

A lawyer can help you through many steps of the process outlined above. Additionally, they can help with taking legal action, including filing a restraining order or protection from abuse, filing a criminal complaint, and filing a civil lawsuit. The laws regarding nonconsensual distribution of intimate images vary by state, so your attorney can help outline the right course of action for your situation. 

If the person continues to contact you or harass you, a restraining order might be a good course of action. If posting nonconsensual images is illegal in your state, you can also file a criminal complaint. Because many police officers still aren’t trained on exactly what to do regarding revenge porn cases, your attorney will be invaluable for supporting you through this process. In a civil lawsuit, you can sue the perpetrator and seek monetary compensation. For example, in 2021, a Maryland woman was awarded $500,000 in a revenge porn lawsuit. Regardless of what steps you’d like to take, a revenge porn lawyer can help you through the process.