Start with the decision, not the threat
You already have the image. The threat is real enough that you are looking for a route that does not mean handing the picture to a stranger or an ordinary image search. The first question is whether the official StopNCII route fits your situation, because it is built for a specific set of conditions.
StopNCII is a free tool; its eligibility requires the person in the intimate image to have the file, to have been at least 18 when it was taken and to be over 18 now. Source
If you are the person in the image and those conditions hold, the next step is to understand what the tool actually does with your file.
What happens to the image
StopNCII generates a hash on the device and sends the hash rather than the image or video; successful cases receive a case number and PIN that must be kept safe because lost access cannot be recovered. Source
That is the reason this route is different from uploading to a general image search. The image stays with you; the case number and PIN are the only things you need to carry forward, and losing them means losing access to that case.
Check eligibility before you act
Use this as a worksheet. Answer each row honestly; if any answer is no, the official route may not be available to you, and you should follow the resource signposted for your situation rather than trying to submit someone else’s case.
| Question | What the official route requires | If the answer is no |
|---|---|---|
| Are you the person shown in the intimate image? | The person in the content must submit their own case | Do not create a case on someone else’s behalf; use the official signpost for your situation |
| Were you at least 18 when the image was taken, and are you over 18 now? | Both must be true | Follow the official age-specific signpost; do not collect or submit files |
| Do you still have the file? | You need the file to create the hash | If the file is gone, the on-device hash route cannot be completed |
| Is the image intimate within the tool’s scope? | The tool is for intimate images | If it is not, a platform report may be the relevant route instead |
A threat alone can qualify before anything has been posted. If the image has already been shared, the hash route and a platform report are separate actions, and the second one is still needed.
The StopNCII FAQ says a person threatened with sharing can create a case; already shared images should also be reported to the platform. Edited images may require a separate hash, and the person in the content must submit their own case. Source
What the hash route does and does not cover
Participating platforms check matching hashes against their intimate-image-abuse policies; StopNCII does not cover the entire internet. Source
So a case is not a promise that the image will disappear everywhere. It is a request that participating platforms recognise a match and apply their own intimate-image-abuse policies. Keep the case number and PIN somewhere you control, and check the case status through the official route rather than waiting without information.
Edits, threats and already-posted images
Three situations are easy to blur together:
- A threat with nothing posted yet. The official route can be used to create a case before sharing happens.
- An image already shared. Create the case if eligible, and also report the post to the platform where it appears.
- An edited or altered image. It may need a separate hash, so do not assume the original case covers a changed version.
None of these steps requires you to identify the person threatening you. Your task is to protect the image and keep a record of what you have done, not to build a case against an unknown account.
If the official route is not open to you
If you are not the person in the image, are not eligible on age, or no longer have the file, do not attempt another person’s case and do not send the image to a general search service. Follow the official resource signposted for your circumstances. If a paid service is offering to help with sextortion, treat that as a separate decision and check what it actually promises before paying: see checking sextortion help-service promises before paying.
A later, optional step for your own public footprint
Once the immediate protection steps are in place, you may want to review non-sensitive material you own, such as a public profile photo or a username, to see what is publicly visible. TraceSeek is a separate app that searches publicly accessible profile candidates from a supplied username and can use image similarity for pages containing a supplied image or a similar one. It has no partnership with StopNCII or the platforms, cannot remove content, and cannot guarantee discovery or safety. A review like this is never a prerequisite to urgent help, and intimate images should not be uploaded to it or to any general image search. If you later face a non-intimate impersonation concern, the separate guide on stolen photos used to catfish people covers that different situation.
Your next step
If the worksheet above says yes, go to the official StopNCII route, create the case on your own device, and store the case number and PIN safely. If the image is already posted, report it to the platform as well. If the worksheet says no, follow the official signpost for your situation and do not submit someone else’s file.