I sent these images willingly. Does that count against me?

No. Consenting to share an image with a person is not consent to its distribution. That is exactly the distinction the law draws, and the offense concerns the distribution, not the existence of the image.

The content keeps coming back after every removal.

This is common and it doesn't make reporting pointless: each takedown reduces the spread, and platforms use digital fingerprints to block a given file from being reuploaded. Keep reporting, and document each reappearance for the ongoing case.

Non-consensual sharing of intimate images

In plain terms

Intimate images you had entrusted to someone are published or sent without your consent. There's no demand for money: the goal is to harm. It's a criminal offense, and you are the victim.

Definition

Non-consensual sharing of intimate images is the publication or transmission, without the consent of the person concerned, of sexual content depicting them, generally obtained within a relationship of trust.

How it works

What sets this apart from other pages on this site is that it involves no technical compromise: the images were shared willingly, within a relationship, and it's that trust that gets turned against the person. The sharing most often happens after a breakup, and targets the person's real circle — family, employer, friends — because that's where the harm is greatest. The speed of spread makes it an emergency: every hour increases the number of copies, and removal becomes harder as a result. One variant distributes images fabricated from public photographs, with the same effect on the person targeted.

Warning signs

Threats of distribution made during or after a breakup
Repeated requests for new images under the guise of proving love
Discovering content about you on a site, a forum, or a group
Unusual contact from people you know mentioning content depicting you
Creation of accounts using your name to distribute this content

How to verify

Before deleting anything, record and preserve: timestamped screenshots, page addresses, the identifiers of the accounts distributing the content. Deleting without preserving deprives a police report of its most useful evidence. A reverse image search of your photographs can help identify other places the content has spread to.

What to do

Act quickly on two fronts in parallel: report to each platform using the dedicated procedure for non-consensual intimate content, which is handled as a priority, and file a police report. Don't contact the person behind the distribution: it doesn't get the content removed and it can harm the case.

If it already happened

File a police report: distributing intimate images without consent is a criminal offense in France, including between former partners. The dedicated helpline (3018 in France) supports victims of online harassment, including in obtaining accelerated removal from platforms. Get support — from someone close to you, an association, a lawyer: the process is long and there's no reason to go through it alone. Having trusted a partner is not a mistake, and no procedure will hold it against you.

Frequently asked questions

I sent these images willingly. Does that count against me?: No. Consenting to share an image with a person is not consent to its distribution. That is exactly the distinction the law draws, and the offense concerns the distribution, not the existence of the image.
The content keeps coming back after every removal.: This is common and it doesn't make reporting pointless: each takedown reduces the spread, and platforms use digital fingerprints to block a given file from being reuploaded. Keep reporting, and document each reappearance for the ongoing case.

Official sources

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — Assistance and reporting (French government cybersecurity assistance service)

Also known as: revenge porn, non-consensual pornography, non-consensual publication of intimate images.

This article is part of the Blackmail, harassment and personal harm family. Last updated: 2026-09-02.