Intimate images are sometimes shared with close friends in confidence, not for distribution. When a friendship ends and a former friend distributes those images as an act of retaliation or malice, this constitutes a criminal NCII violation in most US states. The fact that images were originally shared consensually does not give the recipient permission to redistribute them.

ScanErase helps you find where your face appears across 2.4 billion indexed images, regardless of how the images were originally obtained.

If you can document the former friend's identity and their role in distributing your images, your discovery report supports both a criminal complaint and a civil lawsuit for damages. Civil claims for NCII violations are available in most US states and may include compensatory damages, emotional distress damages, and in some states statutory damages per image.

What to do right now

  1. Run a biometric scan to locate all distributed contentScanErase searches 2.4 billion indexed face embeddings to find every platform where your images have been posted.
  2. Document evidence of who distributed your imagesScreenshots, messages, or witness accounts that identify the former friend as the source support both criminal and civil proceedings.
  3. File a police reportCriminal NCII complaints go to your local police department. Your discovery report gives investigators a head start.
  4. Consult an attorney for civil damagesMost states allow civil lawsuits for NCII violations with substantial damages available.