How to Remove Adult Media Online

How to Remove Leaked Adult Content? 

Connecting online is part of today’s life. Almost everyone uses Google daily, whether to research something for work or to see what people are talking about that new restaurant in town. Chances are that you have Googled yourself and have not found anything significant or just links to your social media. However, it is always important to monitor what appears in these searches and protect your reputation. This is crucial especially if you own a business, since clients often research before doing business with anyone. Similarly, if you are a public figure, anything related to you will appear in the search results when people research your name.  If you found adult media linked to your name on Google, there are some steps to address the situation.

How to Delete Your Information from Google Searches?

In 2023, Google announced new privacy tools to help you remove results about you. Google has always had policies to remove non-consensual explicit imagery from Search. Now these tools have enabled people to remove adult media or any of their personal, explicit images from their search history.

The process to request to remove adult media is by submitting a request to Google, which must meet the following requirements:

1. The imagery shows you nude, in a sexual act, or in an intimate state.
2. You did not consent to the imagery or the act and it was made publicly available or the imagery was made available online without your consent.
3. You are not being paid for this content online or elsewhere at the moment. 

You must submit all the images and web URLs with your personal information that you want Google to review for removal from Search results, as Google only reviews the URLs submitted in the form.

If your request is approved, and an image is removed under this policy, the URL will continue to exist, but will no longer appear on Google Search results.

However, the adult media may still exist online. What will happen after Google approves your request, is that it will remove the adult media from Search. 

When Adult Media Is Hosted Outside the United States

Removing adult media hosted outside the United States presents additional challenges. U.S. laws such as the DMCA apply only where there is a sufficient domestic connection. When content is hosted on foreign servers or operated by offshore entities, U.S. takedown mechanisms may not apply.

In such cases, individuals may rely on international copyright treaties, local privacy laws, or the platform’s internal policies. Outcomes vary widely depending on jurisdiction and enforcement practices. Even when removal from the original site is not possible, de-indexing content from search engines can substantially reduce visibility and mitigate harm. Understanding jurisdictional limitations is essential to setting realistic expectations and selecting the most effective strategy.

Why Copyright Ownership Changes Removal Outcomes

Copyright ownership significantly strengthens an individual’s ability to remove adult media online. When a person owns the copyright to explicit images or videos, they hold exclusive legal rights to reproduce, distribute, and display that content. This ownership creates a clear legal basis for demanding removal and limits the defenses available to websites hosting the material.

Platforms are far more likely to comply with removal requests when copyright ownership is established because failure to act can expose them to liability for infringement. In contrast, removal requests based solely on privacy or personal harm often require additional review and are subject to platform discretion. As a result, individuals who own the copyright generally experience faster, broader, and more durable removals across multiple platforms.

If You Own the Copyright of the Adult Media

If your request does not align with Google guidelines, there is another option. If you hold the copyright of the adult media – meaning you were the one who took the images – you can seek to remove adult media online under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The easiest approach to do it is to check if the website provides a form for DMCA takedown requests. You can find it by searching the website’s name followed by the term “DMCA” on Google, and that will take you to the procedure or online form.

If there is no form or any other information on the website, the steps to send a legally effective DMCA takedown notice to remove adult media online are:

1. To identify who is the DMCA agent responsible 
2. To provide to a service provider’s designated agent in writing the following, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A):

• Your physical or digital signature, or from a person authorized to act on your behalf.
• Identification of the specific adult media.
• Identification of the material to be removed, along with details to help the service provider locate it (such as the website URL).
• Information to allow the service provider to contact the complainant (address, telephone number, and e-mail address).
• A declaration from the complainant asserting a good faith belief that the use of the adult media is not authorized by the copyright holder.
• A statement confirming that the information is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complainant is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright holder.

If You Do Not Own the Copyright of the Adult Media

If obtaining the copyright is not possible, there are some other options to consider to remove adult media online:

• Contact the websites: Reach out to the websites directly and kindly inform them that your adult media is available online. Request that they take it down. If the original site removes the content, it will no longer show up on search engines like Google or other social media platforms.
• Reverse SEO (Suppression): this technique suppresses the negative content by pushing it down in the search engine result pages by ranking your other favorable content above it. That means new content about you will have to be generated and posted with a certain frequency, to make the other content less visible. As much as it can be effective, it requires time and resources to be implemented.

Why Websites and Platforms Comply With Removal Requests?

Websites and online platforms are incentivized to comply with removal requests due to legal liability and regulatory risk. Under laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, platforms receive legal protection only if they respond promptly to valid takedown notices. Failure to comply can expose them to claims for damages, statutory penalties, and loss of safe harbor protections.

Beyond copyright law, many platforms enforce internal policies against non-consensual adult media, privacy violations, and exploitation. Removing flagged content allows platforms to demonstrate compliance with their own terms of service, reduce reputational risk, and avoid scrutiny from regulators and payment processors. These factors collectively explain why well-documented and legally grounded requests are often effective.

What Happens if the Poster Challenges Your Removal Request?

After a takedown request is submitted, the person who posted the content may file a counter notice disputing the claim. When a counter notice is accepted, platforms are often required to restore the content unless further legal steps are taken. This can extend the visibility of harmful material and complicate the removal process.

At this point, resolution usually shifts from platform policy to legal strategy. Acting quickly and carefully becomes critical.

Practical solutions when a counter notice is filed

• Review the counter notice for inaccuracies, misrepresentations, or missing legal elements
  • Gather clear evidence supporting your original claim, such as ownership records, timestamps, or prior rulings
  • Consult legal counsel to assess whether the content violates defamation, privacy, or intellectual property laws
  • Pursue a court order if the content is unlawful and continued removal is necessary
  • Open direct negotiations with the poster when appropriate to seek voluntary removal or settlement
  • Continue suppression efforts by strengthening positive content to reduce visibility during the dispute

Counter notices add procedural complexity, but they do not mean removal is impossible. Well-documented claims, prompt legal guidance, and parallel visibility management strategies significantly improve the chances of a lasting resolution.

Negotiated Removal and Licensing Agreements

Negotiation can be an effective alternative when direct takedown mechanisms are unavailable. In some cases, content owners or producers may agree to remove adult media voluntarily in exchange for a licensing agreement, confidentiality terms, or financial consideration.

These agreements can grant limited rights to control distribution without transferring full copyright ownership. While negotiated solutions require careful drafting and verification, they may achieve faster results than litigation and reduce the likelihood of content resurfacing elsewhere.

Ongoing Monitoring and Enforcement After Removal

Successful removal does not guarantee permanent resolution. Adult media can be reposted, mirrored, or redistributed across new platforms. Ongoing monitoring is therefore a critical component of digital reputation protection.

Tools such as search engine alerts, reverse image searches, and periodic audits of search results help identify reappearances early. Prompt enforcement actions reduce the spread of content and preserve the effectiveness of prior removals. Continuous monitoring transforms content removal from a one-time response into a sustainable protection strategy.