If someone shares an intimate image of you without permission, you can request removal through the platform and may have a separate civil claim under Ohio law. The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires covered platforms to act within 48 hours of a valid request. Eligibility, damages, and deadlines depend on the facts.
Discovering a private image online can leave you worried about your safety, your work, and who might see it next. A convincing fake can cause those same concerns. You do not have to confront the person responsible or decide immediately whether to file a lawsuit to start learning about your options.
If you are dealing with intimate image abuse in Ohio, it helps to understand three different paths: asking a platform to remove content, reporting possible criminal conduct, and pursuing civil relief. Each serves a different purpose. The steps below explain where to begin without promising that any one process will erase every copy or produce compensation.
What the TAKE IT DOWN Act changes for removal requests
The Federal Trade Commission began enforcing the law’s platform notice-and-removal requirements on May 19, 2026. Covered platforms must provide a process for requesting removal of nonconsensual intimate images, including qualifying digitally altered images and AI-generated deepfakes. See the FTC’s enforcement announcement.
Under Section 3 of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the platform must remove the reported image as soon as possible, and no later than 48 hours after receiving a valid request through its process. Within that period, it must also make reasonable efforts to identify and remove known identical copies.
The law covers many public-facing services centered on user-generated content. It does not cover every internet service: electronic mail and broadband internet access are among the exclusions. The deadline concerns the receiving platform; it is not a promise that the image will disappear from the entire internet. A changed or newly uploaded version may require additional attention.
How to make a useful removal request
Look for the platform’s reporting tool or help-center instructions for intimate content shared without consent. A valid written request must contain the following information under Section 3(a)(1)(B):
- Your physical or electronic signature, or that of someone authorized to act for you.
- Enough identifying information for the platform to locate the image, such as the specific post or image URL.
- A brief statement explaining your good-faith belief that publication was nonconsensual, with relevant supporting information.
- Contact information that lets the platform reach you or your authorized representative.
Keep a copy of what you submit, the submission time, any confirmation number, and the platform’s response. You can ask a trusted person to help you organize the information, or authorize someone to make the request for you. Use a contact method you can safely access.
If a covered platform fails to remove the content after a valid request, has no removal process, or has a broken process, the FTC directs people to report the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. Its consumer guidance explains the reporting options.
An FTC report helps the agency enforce platform obligations. It does not itself file your lawsuit or establish your entitlement to damages. The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s removal section is enforced by the FTC; a personal compensation claim needs its own legal basis.
Civil options for intimate image abuse in Ohio
Ohio Revised Code Section 2307.66 gives a victim of a violation of Section 2917.211 a civil cause of action against the offender. Available relief includes:
- An injunction or temporary restraining order prohibiting further dissemination of the image.
- Compensatory and punitive damages for harm resulting from the violation.
The statute presumes harm from nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images or fabricated sexual images. That presumption does not guarantee a particular award, eliminate the need to establish a violation, or resolve every question about proof and damages.
For the private-image prohibition in Section 2917.211(B), the depicted person must be at least 18. Other requirements include knowing dissemination, identification from the image or qualifying accompanying information, nudity or a sexual act, lack of consent, and intent to harm. If identification depends on accompanying information, the statute requires that the offender supplied that information.
There are exceptions, including specified reporting, investigative, medical, expressive, and lawful-public-purpose uses. The law also protects certain service providers from liability solely because another person supplied the content. A lawyer should evaluate the actual conduct and statutory exceptions before identifying the proper defendant. A platform’s removal obligation does not automatically make it liable for a user’s damages.
Ohio also addresses fabricated sexual images
The current Ohio statutes, effective September 30, 2025, expressly address fabricated sexual images. Section 2307.66(F) defines them as created, adapted, or modified images depicting a recognizable person nude or engaged in a sexual act. Recognition may come from the person’s face, likeness, or another distinguishing characteristic.
Section 2917.211(C) prohibits knowingly disseminating such an image without the depicted person’s consent. That provision does not repeat the separate intent-to-harm requirement found in the adult private-image provision. Section 2917.211(D) also addresses creating or soliciting creation of a fabricated sexual image with intent to distribute and specified harmful purposes, without the depicted person’s consent.
These differences matter. An altered image should be evaluated under the provisions that fit it, rather than assuming every rule for an authentic photograph applies. The Ohio exceptions still require attention. For conduct occurring before an amendment’s effective date, the applicable version of the law also needs review.
A separate federal statute, 15 U.S.C. Section 6851, permits civil relief for qualifying nonconsensual disclosures meeting its commerce, knowledge, and other requirements. It includes damages and possible injunctions, but has its own definitions and exceptions. Do not assume a manipulated image’s eligibility for platform removal settles its eligibility under a particular damages statute.
Preserve useful information without spreading the image
If it is safe, make a short timeline: when you learned of the image, where it appeared, who posted it, and what happened afterward. Keep URLs, usernames, threats, platform correspondence, and records of resulting expenses or missed work. Preserve the original messages you already have instead of editing them. The FBI advises preserving profiles and messages that may help identify the person responsible.
Avoid reposting the image to explain what happened. If an image involves someone under 18, do not download or forward it to build an evidence file. Ask law enforcement or counsel about safe handling. NCMEC’s Take It Down service, which is separate from the federal law and FTC reporting site, can help with qualifying images taken when the person was under 18. NCMEC specifically says not to download, send, or share material to use its service; it works with files already on the person’s device and participating platforms.
If someone demands money or more images, the FTC recommends refusing those demands and reporting the conduct. Consider help from a trusted person or victim advocate as you plan safe next steps.
Frequently asked questions
Does sending someone a private image let them publish it?
Consent to create an image or share it with one person does not establish consent to further distribution under 15 U.S.C. Section 6851(b)(2). Ohio’s dissemination provisions also require attention to consent. The communications and circumstances surrounding any permission matter.
How long do I have to bring the Ohio image-dissemination claim?
Section 2307.66(C) specifies four years after the victim discovers the private sexual image or fabricated sexual image. Other claims can have different deadlines. Do not assume a platform report pauses a filing deadline or that each repost restarts it; obtain advice promptly.
Can I request removal before anyone is convicted?
Yes. The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s request requirements do not require a criminal conviction. You can also ask a lawyer to evaluate civil options while deciding whether to report criminal conduct. These processes have separate requirements.
Will filing a lawsuit keep my identity private?
Privacy protections require case-specific planning. Section 6851(b)(3)(B) permits a court to grant injunctive relief maintaining a plaintiff’s confidentiality through a pseudonym. That does not guarantee anonymity in every case. Discuss names, exhibits, and protective requests before filing sensitive material.
Discuss your options with our Columbus office
Jeckering & Associates, LLC can discuss your circumstances and potential civil options. Read about our sexual abuse and exploitation representation or contact the firm to request a consultation. Our Columbus office is at 10 N High Street, Suite 301, Columbus, OH 43215. Call 614-944-5151. Please do not send intimate images through an initial contact form; ask how relevant material should be handled.
This article provides general information, not legal advice for a particular situation. Reading it or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.