GHOSTThe TAKE IT DOWN Act: what the 48-hour rule means for you
Platforms now have 48 hours to remove intimate images shared without consent, including AI fakes. Here's how a valid request works.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act became federal law on May 19, 2025. It does two things: it makes it a crime to publish intimate images of someone without their consent, including AI-generated fakes, and it requires platforms to take those images down quickly when asked.
The 48-hour rule
Platforms that host user content had one year to set up a removal process, so the requirement has applied since May 19, 2026. Once a platform gets a valid request, it has 48 hours to remove the image and must make reasonable efforts to remove copies. The Federal Trade Commission enforces it.
What a valid request needs
- Your signature, physical or electronic
- Enough information for the platform to find the image
- A short statement that you believe it was shared without your consent
- A way to contact you
You can file for yourself, or someone authorized can file on your behalf.
Where it falls short
The law only covers platforms that serve the public, and 48 hours is a long time when an image is spreading. It also only works if you know where the image is. Finding every copy is still the hard part.
Where Ghost helps
Ghost files compliant requests from links, never from the images themselves, starts the 48-hour clock the moment a request goes out, and flags any platform that misses it so you can escalate to the FTC.