Take It Down Act enforcement starts now: What to know about the FTC and TIDA

On May 19, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act (“Act”) into law. Championed by First Lady Melania Trump, the Act represents a significant step in combating harmful digital exploitation, including the nonconsensual distribution of intimate images and the growing threat of deepfake abuse. Today, the Federal Trade Commission begins enforcing Section 3 of the Act against platforms that fail to comply with the law’s notice and removal requirements, which ensure that people can quickly and easily get these images—real or fake—taken down.  

Section 3 requires covered platforms to provide a process for people to request the removal of intimate photos or videos shared without their consent. When a covered platform receives a valid request, it must remove the content—along with any known identical copies—within 48 hours. 

The Act covers a wide range of nonconsensual intimate imagery, including intimate real photos and videos as well as “digital forgeries,” such as images of people that were digitally created or altered using software, an app, or artificial intelligence. It also covers a broad range of online platforms, including social media, messaging, and image or video sharing apps and websites.

Platforms have had a year to implement the Act’s notice and removal procedures. Now it’s time to comply with the law. Platforms must have a clear and conspicuous notice and removal process for nonconsensual intimate images, and they are required by law to take down the images and remove duplicates within 48 hours of a valid request. 

Platforms should be prepared to demonstrate compliance and make it easy for people to track the status of their removal requests. There are many ways to do so—for example, using a process that assigns a confirmation or report number to each removal request and shares status updates with victims. 

The FTC is actively monitoring compliance, investigating violations, and holding platforms accountable when they fail to protect people—especially children—from this harmful abuse. To assist in investigations and enforcement actions, the agency launched TakeItDown.ftc.gov, where people can tell the FTC about platforms that fail to swiftly take down intimate photos and videos shared without their consent or platforms without a process for requesting removal of these images. 

Know this: Platforms violating the law may face FTC law enforcement action, including potential civil penalties of $53,088 per violation. To learn what the TAKE IT DOWN Act  means for your business, read the FTC’s business guide, Complying With the TAKE IT DOWN Act.