DateableHow StopNCII stops an intimate image spreading
StopNCII makes a digital fingerprint of your image on your phone, shares only the fingerprint, and partner platforms block it. The image never leaves your device.
StopNCII makes a digital fingerprint of an intimate image on your own device, shares only that fingerprint to participating platforms, and stops the image spreading across the internet. The image itself never leaves your phone.
Why an image spreads without your consent
An intimate image shared without your permission can reappear again and again across different platforms. Someone might upload it to a new site, and even after you report it and it is removed, someone else uploads it again. Each site needs its own report, each removal takes time, and the image keeps spreading. This can go on for months or years.
Building a defense one report at a time is slow and draining. You have to find the image, document it, report to the platform, wait for removal, and watch for it to surface somewhere else. StopNCII flips the approach: instead of chasing the image across the internet, you give platforms a fingerprint once, and they block it before anyone else can upload it.
How the fingerprint protects your image
StopNCII runs on your own device and creates a hash: a unique digital fingerprint of the image 1. This fingerprint is not the image itself. It is a short string of code that identifies the specific image without revealing what it shows. Think of it like a passport number: it identifies the document uniquely, but anyone who sees the number does not see your photo or details.
You send only the fingerprint to StopNCII.org, never the image. Your device keeps the original. StopNCII shares the fingerprint with participating companies like Google, Meta and TikTok 1. When someone tries to upload that image, the platform checks it against the fingerprint library. If it matches, the platform blocks it before it goes live. The person who tried to upload it usually does not know why it was blocked.
Because the fingerprint works at the platform level, it catches the image even if someone slightly edits it. If they crop it, rotate it, or change the colours, the fingerprint still recognises it as the same image. The Revenge Porn Helpline reports over a 90% removal rate using this method, and more than 300,000 images have been removed 1.
Who can use StopNCII
You can use StopNCII if you meet three conditions:
- You are the person in the image, and you are 18 or over now
- You were 18 or over when the image was taken
- You still have the original image on your device
If someone else took the image without your knowledge, you cannot use StopNCII yourself to create the fingerprint (the tool needs the original file). If you are under 18, StopNCII cannot help, but other reporting paths exist: the eSafety Commissioner in Australia can intervene for anyone, regardless of age.
What StopNCII does and does not do
StopNCII works only on participating platforms. It does not cover every site on the internet. The major platforms are there, but smaller or private sites may not use the system yet 1.
StopNCII also does not remove images that are already live. If the image is already on a platform, you still need to report it through that platform's own reporting tools. StopNCII stops new uploads from spreading, but it does not reach back to erase what is already there.
If an image is being used to blackmail or coerce you, or if you are being threatened, StopNCII is one tool, but not enough on its own. Report it immediately and get support.
Immediate steps if an image has been shared
If you discover an intimate image of you online without your consent:
- Report it to the platform where you found it. Use the platform's report button, which is usually one press from any photo or profile.
- Screenshot the image and its URL, and gather any other evidence. Save these separate from the original image.
- Report to eSafety (Australia) or the Revenge Porn Helpline (UK) for additional support. They can help with removal and report to police if needed 2.
- Report to your local police or equivalent authority. In Australia, call eSafety. In the UK, contact the Revenge Porn Helpline or police 3.
- Consider a reverse image search to find other copies.
- Talk to someone you trust about what happened. Do not blame yourself.
As you work on removal, take care of your privacy going forward. Keep private photos truly private, share them only with people you trust, and be cautious about who you send intimate images to in the first place.
Reporting a threat or ongoing abuse
If someone is threatening to share an image, or if they keep uploading it to new platforms, do not pay or send more images. That escalates the situation.
Stop replying. Do not pay anything. Block the person and report the account to the platform. Then contact eSafety or the police.
You can report abuse through Dateable itself. A report reaches a person on our team, who can act to protect you on the platform.
If you need more help beyond what Dateable or StopNCII can offer, read what to do if something goes wrong. It covers the reporting paths, helplines, and support services in your country.
Sources
- StopNCII.org (Revenge Porn Helpline, SWGfL) (2026). Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse.
- eSafety Commissioner (2026). Image-based abuse (including revenge porn, sextortion and nude image blackmail).
- Revenge Porn Helpline (SWGfL) (2026). Revenge Porn Helpline.
