Discovering a deepfake of yourself is a serious violation, one that has clear legal remedies in 2026. The TAKE IT DOWN Act explicitly covers AI-generated intimate imagery with the same 48-hour removal obligations as authentic intimate images. This means you have powerful legal tools available immediately. The steps below cover what to do in the first hours after discovering deepfake content depicting you.

Step 1: Preserve evidence before reporting

Before reporting or requesting removal, document what you have found. Take screenshots that include the URL, the platform, any associated account information, and the content itself. Note the date and time. This documentation is important for legal proceedings, for the removal notice itself, and in case content is moved or deleted before you can act. If the content has been shared across multiple platforms or accounts, document each location separately.

Step 2: Use the free detector to document AI generation

Upload a copy of the deepfake image to the ScanErase free deepfake detector. Save the results, including the probability score and signal breakdown. This documentation may be useful for police reports, legal complaints, or platform reports that ask whether content is AI-generated. Note: you do not need to prove AI generation to assert TAKE IT DOWN Act rights, the Act covers both authentic and synthetic intimate imagery.

Step 3: Assert your TAKE IT DOWN Act rights

The TAKE IT DOWN Act gives you a direct federal right to demand removal of intimate imagery from covered platforms within 48 hours. You do not need a lawyer to send a removal notice yourself. ScanErase helps with the step before that: upload your face photo, and a biometric scan across 200+ platforms, including major social networks, finds every copy in one pass. The $15 one-time unlock gives you the full match list, platform, URL, and confidence score for each, so you can send your own removal notice to every location at once instead of searching for them individually.

Step 4: Report to platform and law enforcement

In addition to legal removal notices, report the content through each platform's standard reporting mechanism (select the intimate imagery or deepfake category). For law enforcement, the FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) accepts reports of non-consensual intimate imagery. Your state attorney general's office and local police may also accept reports. Some states have specific deepfake criminal statutes, check your state's specific law at ScanErase's state laws resource.

Frequently asked questions