Our what-to-do guide will help you get your pictures removed from the internet as quickly as possible
The guide was written by Anna after she could not find the help she needed.
Plus, answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.
1. Take a deep breath, you are not alone
It is not your fault that this content has been leaked online, and there is a solution! Do you have a suspicion of who did this? Do not contact this person! Instead, follow the steps below.
2. Create an anonymous email account
Use a secure email provider (e.g. mailbox.org)to create a new and anonymous email address to use for the next steps. We recommend using your first-/last-/artist-name + nackt, e.g. annanackt (at) mailbox.org
3. Take screenshots of everything
Take pictures of your images on the website to ensure everything is well documented. Try to include the URL, time and date in the screenshots. Make sure that the screenshots show clues to possible perpetrators*. Also be sure to write down all the URL addresses. Additional tipps on how to take correct screenshots on social media can be found here.
4. Contact the website(s)
Contact the website(s) and demand that they remove the content immediately. There is often a contact form or general contact@ email address located in the footer, and often contact details can be found in the imprint/data privacy section. More information here.
5. Check if these images are elsewhere
Enter the ‘title’ of the image (e.g. Anna Nackt naked photos), as well as variations, in the main search engines: Google, Yahoo, Bing. If you find more of your images, repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. Contact the search engines
Fill out these search engine contact forms, and include the links you want to be removed. Use your new e-mail address for this, and do not upload pictures of yourself to the search engines. Additional tipps for Google Search can be found here.
7. Document everything
You have now done everything to get your content removed from the internet quickly - well done! Now you need to make a record of everything: how did you find out that the content is online, which websites, how do you think the images were leaked?
8. Contact the police (and hire a lawyer)
Call the police or report this online: image abuse is a crime. Use your documentation from step 7 to provide the necessary information. You can submit additional information to the police report at any time, so don’t worry if you miss something. If you don't feel ready to file a report the crime just yet, it’s ok, but do try again later. Here is a list of contact details for German police contacts.
If you have a suspicion about who put the content online, it may make sense to engage a lawyer. Do not contact the suspected person before seeking legal advice.
9. Ensure your data is secured
Change your passwords for your social media, e-mail, cloud and other accounts. Also, check if your phone/laptop/tablet automatically syncs with the cloud and turn off this automatic synchronization. If your social media profiles are public, we recommend setting them to "private" and also deleting private information, e.g. place of residence, age and family.
10. Talk to people you trust
Don’t feel ashamed. This could have happened to anyone, and it is not your fault. Seek out the people you trust and talk to them. Please only speak to people you can trust 100%, often these are family members or teachers. We promise you will feel better for doing so, and they will do everything they can to help you.