Revenge Porn: Remove Leaked Photos and Videos from a particular website

How to Remove Leaked Private Photos (NCII) from Websites: India 2026 Legal Guide

Do not pay "hackers" to remove it. Immediately file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in (Select: Report Women/Child Related Crime) to trigger the mandatory 24-hour removal rule. Simultaneously, use StopNCII.org to prevent the file from spreading to social platforms.

Why This is Confusing
Victims often confuse "Deleting the file" with "De-indexing." You might not be able to force a rogue website hosted in a non-compliant jurisdiction to delete a file, but you can force Google and Bing to remove the link from search results, making the page invisible to 99% of the internet. Under the IT Rules (Intermediary Guidelines), Indian ISPs and platforms have strict liability to remove Non-Consensual Intimate Images (NCII) within 24 hours of receiving a valid grievance.

Checklist

• The exact URL(s) where the content is hosted.
• Screenshots of the content (for evidence only; do not share these otherwise).
• A digital copy of the original image/video (required for generating a "Hash" on your own device—it is never uploaded).
• The Hidden Requirement: The website's Registrar Abuse Contact. Use Whois.com to find the email of the company that sold the domain name, not the website owner themselves.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Step 1: The Government "Kill Switch" (CyberCrime Portal)
  Go to cybercrime.gov.in.
  Click Report Women/Child Related Crime > Report Anonymously (or Trackable).
  Under "Category," select Sexually Explicit Content.
  Upload the URL and Screenshots. This sends a legal directive to ISPs and platforms in India to block/remove the content.
• Step 2: Google De-indexing (Critical)
  Even if the site stays up, you must hide it from Search.
  Go to Google Search Help > Request to remove your personal information on Google.
  Select Non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images.
  Fill the form. Google usually processes these NCII requests within 24-48 hours, removing the link from search results worldwide.
• Step 3: The StopNCII.org Shield
  Go to StopNCII.org (run by the Revenge Porn Helpline).
  Click Create Your Case.
  Select the original photo/video on your device. The site will generate a Digital Hash (fingerprint) locally. The image never leaves your phone.
  This Hash is shared with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and OnlyFans. If anyone tries to upload that file, the system detects the Hash and auto-blocks it.
• Step 4: The Registrar Takedown
  If the website has no contact info, go to Whois.com and search the domain name.
  Look for Registrar Abuse Contact Email (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]).
  Email them citing Section 67A of the IT Act and violations of their "Acceptable Use Policy" regarding non-consensual content. Registrars can suspend the entire domain.

How It Works & Hidden Details
The most effective mechanism is Hash-Based Blocking used by StopNCII.
Images are just data. When StopNCII creates a "Hash," it turns your image into a unique string of alphanumeric characters (e.g., a3f90...).
Participating platforms (Meta, Reddit, Bumble) keep a "Blacklist" of these Hashes. When a user attempts to upload a file, the platform calculates its Hash. If it matches the Blacklist, the upload fails instantly. This prevents the content from going viral on mainstream social media, which is where the most damage usually occurs.

Things to Watch Out For

• Risk 1: The "Recovery Service" Scam.
  Never trust Instagram/Twitter accounts claiming they are "ethical hackers" who can delete the video for a fee. They are scammers who will take your money and often blackmail you with the same footage.
• Risk 2: The Streisand Effect.
  Do not post about the leak publicly on your social media to "warn" people. This draws curiosity and drives traffic to the video. Handle everything through the silent channels listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Can I get the IP address of the uploader?
  A: Only the Police can request this from the website/ISP during a formal FIR investigation under the BNS/IT Act. The website will not give this data to you directly.
• Q: The website is hosted in Russia/China. Will they listen?
  A: Likely not. In this case, Step 2 (Google Removal) and Step 1 (ISP Blocking) are your only defenses. If the URL is blocked by Indian ISPs and de-indexed by Google, it effectively ceases to exist for 99% of the population.

Stay strong. Focus on de-indexing and blocking first; the internet moves on quickly once the link is dead.

Update: Additional Details & Recent Changes

• New Legal Framework (BNS vs. IPC):
  Effective July 2024, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While the IT Act (Section 67A) remains the primary law for online transmission, if you file a police FIR, you must now cite the new BNS sections:
  
  • Voyeurism (Old IPC 354C): Now covered under Section 77 of BNS.
  • Stalking/Online Harassment: Now covered under Section 78 of BNS.
  Using old IPC codes in your written complaint may delay the registration of the FIR.
• Google "Results About You" Dashboard:
  Google now offers a proactive dashboard called Results About You. You can enable this in your Google App settings. It automatically scans Search for your contact details or sensitive images and notifies you, allowing for "One-Tap Removal" without filling the long legal form every time.
• "Take It Down" (For Under-18 Content):
  If the photo/video was taken when the victim was under 18 (even if they are an adult now), StopNCII.org may not process it. Instead, you must use TakeItDown.NCMEC.org. This platform (run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) has a stronger legal mandate and removes content from Facebook, Instagram, and Pornhub more aggressively than the adult version.

Do not pay "hackers" to remove it. Immediately file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in

Update: Under the IT Rules 2021 (Amendment 2025), intermediaries are strictly mandated to remove content displaying "partial or full nudity" or "sexual act" within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. This is a non-negotiable deadline for platforms like Instagram, X (Twitter), and Telegram.