How to Remove Intimate Content From Pornhub, XNXX, and XVIDEOS

Finding intimate content of yourself on a major adult tube site is one of the most distressing things that can happen online. The good news is that the legal landscape changed significantly in April 2026, and these platforms now carry federal statutory obligations that did not exist a year ago.

This post covers which laws apply to adult tube sites, what a valid removal notice requires, and what happens if a platform ignores one.

Which Law Covers Adult Tube Sites

The Take It Down Act (47 U.S.C. 223a), signed into law on April 28, 2026, applies to any online platform with more than 100,000 users that is accessible to people in the United States. Pornhub, XNXX, and XVIDEOS each attract hundreds of millions of monthly visitors and have substantial US user bases. All three are covered platforms under the statute.

The obligation the law creates is specific. A covered platform must maintain a clear and accessible submission mechanism for removal notices and must remove reported intimate content within 48 hours of receiving a valid one. The platform must also take reasonable steps to prevent the same content from being reuploaded after removal.

Prior to this law, adult tube sites had no federal deadline for responding to removal requests. Content could sit for weeks or months while the platform processed abuse reports on its own schedule. The 48-hour clock changes that entirely.

What Content the Law Covers

The statute protects anyone who is identifiable in an intimate visual depiction that was distributed without their consent. "Intimate visual depiction" includes images and videos depicting a person in a state of nudity or engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The law covers:

• Real photos or videos that were shared or uploaded without your consent
• Content filmed or photographed with your consent but distributed to platforms you never agreed to
• AI-generated images or videos depicting your likeness in intimate contexts
• Content posted under your name or with identifying information, even if you are not clearly identifiable from the image alone

You do not need to have been in a relationship with the person who uploaded the content. You do not need to prove how the content was obtained. The absence of your consent to the specific distribution is what the statute requires.

DMCA Rights for Creators

If you created the content yourself, such as self-produced video posted elsewhere without your permission, you hold the copyright in it. In that situation you can file a DMCA takedown alongside your Section 223a notice.

DMCA has a separate process with its own timeline. Copyright takedowns give the platform the right to restore content if the uploader files a valid counter-notice, which adds 10 to 14 business days before you can pursue further action. Section 223a does not have a counter-notice process. The 48-hour deadline applies regardless of whether the uploader disputes the removal.

For AI-generated content depicting you, DMCA does not apply because you did not create the image. Section 223a is the only statutory path.

What a Valid Section 223a Notice Requires

A notice that starts the 48-hour clock must include:

• The specific URL of the content you are reporting (not just the site name or a search result)
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you are the person depicted or are authorized to act on their behalf
• A statement that you did not consent to the distribution of the content on this platform
• Your contact information

A generic abuse report, a flag through the standard platform interface, or a message to a general inbox does not satisfy these requirements and does not start the statutory clock. The notice must reach the platform's designated legal contact and must contain each required element.

If any element is missing, the platform can reject the notice without triggering the 48-hour deadline. You would then need to file again.

Why These Sites Are Difficult to Navigate Directly

Adult tube sites typically do not make their legal contact information easy to find. Pornhub's parent company Aylo, based in Cyprus, has a content removal process separate from the standard abuse flag system. XNXX and XVIDEOS are operated by WGCZ Holding in the Czech Republic. Both are subject to the Take It Down Act because they accept US users, but reaching the correct legal contact requires knowing where to send the notice.

Sending a valid notice to the wrong address starts nothing. The platform has no statutory obligation from an improperly addressed filing.

What Happens If a Platform Does Not Remove Content Within 48 Hours

If a covered platform receives a valid Section 223a notice and does not remove the content within 48 hours, two enforcement paths become available:

FTC complaint. The Federal Trade Commission enforces noncompliance as an unfair or deceptive practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act. Civil penalties can reach $50,120 per violation per day. FTC enforcement actions create significant public and regulatory pressure on platforms.

Federal civil action. You can bring a private federal lawsuit against the platform. Statutory damages are $150,000 per violation plus attorney fees. Section 230, which normally shields platforms from liability for user-posted content, cannot be used as a defense for content that was the subject of a valid Section 223a notice.

The documented record of a properly filed notice is the foundation of either action. Platforms that initially do not respond have reversed course when shown a documented filing with the specific statutory citations and damages amounts.

The Problem of Multiple Uploads

Content on tube sites rarely appears in a single location. The same video or image set can appear on Pornhub and XNXX simultaneously, get indexed in adult search engines, and end up in Telegram channels or mirror sites. Removing one instance does not remove the others.

Each platform where the content appears requires its own valid notice sent to the correct legal contact.

How ScanErase Helps With This

ScanErase runs a biometric face scan across over 2.4 billion indexed face embeddings to find every instance of your likeness online, including on adult tube sites and their mirror domains. For each match, your exposure report gives you the correct legal contact for that specific platform, ready for you to file a compliant Section 223a notice yourself.

Every notice you file can include the specific content URL, the 48-hour removal deadline, and the $150,000 statutory damages provision for noncompliance.

After a source page is taken down, you can also file a search engine delisting request for the affected URL so it does not remain discoverable through Google.

One-time cost to unlock your full report: $15. Most removals complete within 24 hours of notice delivery.

Start your free scan