Home / Get help / Finding images
Are images of me online?
Searching can be upsetting. You can stop at any point, ask someone you trust to search for you, or just start with the links you already have.
Ways to check
Links someone sent you, or that you've already found, are enough to start removal. You don't need to search further.
Google Alerts can email you when your name or usernames appear in new results.
Makes a fingerprint on your device so participating platforms can find, remove, and block matching copies. The image never leaves your phone.
Optional. Uploading a photo to an image search shares it with that company. Read the warning below first.
Searching with an image
Before you upload anything: putting a photo into an image search shares it with that company, which may keep it under its own privacy policy. This step is optional. If the person in the image was under 18, don't upload it anywhere; use NCMEC's Take It Down instead.
Google Lens searches the web for matching or similar images. TinEye looks for copies, including some cropped or edited ones, in a smaller index. Neither can see private groups, closed accounts, or messages.
Face search sites
Some sites search for faces that look like yours across public web pages. They're optional, not a necessary step. Many charge, and they have their own privacy policies. Treat any match as a lead, not proof, and don't feel pressured into a subscription. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative doesn't endorse image-monitoring services.
Alerts for your name
At Google Alerts, set alerts for searches like these, using your own details:
- "Your Full Name"
- "your_username"
- "your_old_username"
Alerts don't recognize faces and can't see private messages.
StopNCII
StopNCII.org is for adults. It works for real or synthetic intimate images of you. It doesn't search the web for you. Instead, participating platforms use your fingerprints to find and remove matching copies and block new uploads. It only works on those platforms, and edited versions may need their own fingerprint. Keep your case number and PIN somewhere safe: they can't be recovered. For images taken when you were under 18, use NCMEC's Take It Down instead.
Where images tend to spread, and how to report there
| Type of place | How to report |
|---|---|
| Social posts, forums, imageboards | Report the specific post and account through the site's intimate-image process. |
| Adult video or image sites | Use their consent or removal form, not a generic flag. |
| Private group chats | Report the message, account, and group in the app. The service may not be able to see every copy. |
| File-sharing or cloud links | Report the specific link to the storage company. |
| Search results | Ask the search engine to remove them, separately from the original site. |
| Reposts and mirrors | Report each new copy, and use StopNCII to help block more. |