Remove Intimate Images from Reddit in Australia

Why Reddit content spreads quickly

Subreddits operate as semi public communities with low moderation latency. Once a thread surfaces in a default feed it can reach millions of impressions inside an hour, and reposting across subreddits is trivial.

Australia legal framework

Online Safety Act 2021 image based abuse scheme plus Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) section 474.17A. Criminal: up to 7 years imprisonment. Civil: penalties up to AU$156,500 for individuals and AU$782,500 for corporations per contravention.

The civil erasure right under Privacy Act 1988 plus eSafety removal notice scheme is enforceable against Reddit regardless of where Reddit processes the data, where the data subject is in Australia.

Reddit removal route

Reddit accepts statutory takedown notices through its dedicated non consensual intimate imagery form and through its DMCA agent. Both routes trigger Reddit's safety review pipeline.

Reddit is a covered platform under 47 USC 223a. Reddit's Section 230 protections do not insulate it from the 48 hour removal obligation under the TAKE IT DOWN Act once a compliant notice is filed.

Evidence preservation specific to Reddit

Capture the post id, the subreddit name, the username, and the permalink. Reddit deletes posts when the original poster removes them, which destroys the URL but not the cached image. Save the image directly and record the timestamp.

Five step removal process

1. 1

   Capture evidence from Reddit

   Capture the post id, the subreddit name, the username, and the permalink. Reddit deletes posts when the original poster removes them, which destroys the URL but not the cached image. Save the image directly and record the timestamp.

2. 2

   File Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) Part 6 plus Criminal Code (Cth) s.474.17A criminal complaint

   Report to local police or national cybercrime unit. eSafety Commissioner image based abuse scheme can assist.

3. 3

   Submit Privacy Act 1988 plus eSafety removal notice scheme erasure request to Reddit

   Reddit accepts statutory takedown notices through its dedicated non consensual intimate imagery form and through its DMCA agent. Both routes trigger Reddit's safety review pipeline. The request must identify the URLs and cite the legal basis. OAIC accepts complaints for non compliance.

4. 4

   Run a biometric scan to find every other hosting location

   Content rarely stays on one platform. ScanErase identifies every current location in a single scan including mirrored copies and AI generated variants of the same image.

5. 5

   Dispatch parallel TAKE IT DOWN Act notice to Reddit

   Reddit is a covered platform with a 48 hour federal removal obligation. ScanErase files the notice within 5 minutes of authorisation.