Intimate images shared without consent or sextortion online

Key rules

• Criminal acts: Sharing intimate images without consent and sextortion are crimes in Spain, and you can report them.
• Evidence: Keep everything and delete nothing, including chats and accounts.
• AEPD channel: The priority channel is free, but it does not replace a police report.
• Sextortion: Do not pay a sextortion demand.
• Minors: Never forward images of minors, even as proof.

What to do first

You can act on several fronts at once. Ask for the images to be removed, keep proof, and report to the police. Sharing intimate images without consent, and sextortion (threatening to share them unless you pay or comply), are crimes in Spain. You are not at fault.

Do these in parallel, not one after another. The checklist below gives the steps in order.

Keep evidence before anything disappears

Do not delete messages, chats or accounts, even if it is painful to look at them. Take full screenshots that show the username, date, time and content. Copy the exact web addresses and profile links. Save emails with their headers, voice notes, call logs and any payment receipts. Keep the original phone or device, and do not edit the files. Store copies somewhere safe, such as an external drive.

For stronger proof, a notary can record web content (an "acta notarial"), or a certified third-party service can capture it. A court can later order a forensic computer report. The documents list below gives the details.

If the images show someone under 18, do not forward them to anyone, even as proof. That can be an offence in itself. Describe what you have to the police instead.

Get the images taken down

The AEPD priority channel. The Spanish data protection agency (AEPD) runs a "Canal prioritario" for urgent removal of sexual, violent or very sensitive images posted without consent. Anyone can use it, and it is free. You file online through the AEPD's electronic office with your ID, the links, a description of the content and any evidence. The AEPD can then act on the platform to have the content removed. It aims to respond urgently, within hours or a few days, but no fixed deadline is guaranteed. It only works for platforms the AEPD can act on.

The platforms. Report the content on each site using its form for intimate images shared without consent. Platforms are required to act on these notices under EU rules.

Search engines. Google and Bing have forms to remove explicit images shared without consent, and your personal data, from search results.

Blocking re-uploads. If you are an adult, StopNCII.org creates a digital fingerprint of your images on your own device. The images are not uploaded or sent to anyone. Participating platforms then block matching files. It only covers adults, only participating platforms, and only identical or near-identical files. If you were a minor when the images were made, use the Take It Down tool, which works in a similar way.

Report it to the police

File a report with the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil, and bring your evidence. The AEPD channel is separate from a criminal complaint and does not replace it. Police can ask platforms for data, so report quickly, before it is deleted. A police report or court complaint can also lead to a judicial order to remove content.

What the law says

Sharing intimate images you received with consent, but without the person's permission, when it seriously harms their privacy, can bring 3 months to 1 year in prison or a fine. Sextortion is prosecuted as threats, coercion or extortion. Anything involving images of minors is treated far more severely, including as child pornography. Adults who contact a minor online to arrange a sexual meeting also commit a crime.

Get help

A lawyer can ask a court for urgent civil measures for damage to your honour and privacy, and can advise you on a criminal case. Never pay a sextortion demand. Payment rarely stops the threats, and the demands usually continue.

Timeline and deadlines

• Save screenshots, links and messages, and report to the police before the data is deleted: as soon as you find out

• Send your removal request to the AEPD priority channel: right after saving the evidence

• Sharing intimate images without consent can lead to 3 months to 1 year in prison or a fine of 6 to 12 months: penalty for the person who shared them

Check current AEPD response times with the agency, as they are not guaranteed in every case.

Documents you need

• Full screenshots of the messages, posts or profiles, showing the username, date, time and content. Do not edit or crop the files.

• The exact web addresses (URLs) and profile links where the images or messages appear, copied as they are.

• Saved emails with their headers, voice notes, call logs and payment receipts, if the person asked you for money.

• A notarised record of the web content (acta notarial) issued by a notary, or a capture from a certified third-party service, for stronger proof.

Checklist

• File a police report with the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil, because these acts are crimes.

What to watch out for

• Deleting evidence: Deleting messages, chats or accounts can destroy the proof you need, and the platform may remove the data soon after. Keep everything, store copies on an external drive and report to the police quickly.

• Paying a sextortion demand: Threats to publish intimate images unless you pay are crimes in Spain (threats, coercion or extortion). Paying does not guarantee they will stop. Do not pay. Save the messages and payment receipts and report to the police.

• Images of minors: Passing on, possessing or distributing sexual images of a minor is a crime, even if you only mean to show them as proof. Do not forward them. Tell the police and give them the originals in your report.

• Thinking the AEPD replaces a police report: The AEPD channel can get content removed, but it is separate from a criminal complaint and only works on platforms it can act on. Use the AEPD channel and file a police report as well.

Frequently asked questions

How fast does the AEPD priority channel act?

The AEPD priority channel aims to act within hours or a few days, instead of the usual months. No fixed deadline is guaranteed in every case. The AEPD can also order urgent measures to have the content taken down.

Can I stop my images being re-uploaded without sending them to anyone?

Yes, if you are an adult, StopNCII.org lets you create a digital fingerprint of the images on your own device, and the images are never uploaded. Participating platforms then block matching files, but only exact or near-identical copies.

Can I get intimate images removed from Google or Bing search results?

Yes, Google and Bing both have forms to request removal of non-consensual explicit images and of personal data from search results. This hides the links from searches but does not delete the image from the site hosting it, so report it to that platform too.

Should I forward the images to someone as proof if the victim is a minor?

No, do not forward images of a minor to anyone, because doing so may be an offence in itself. Keep them untouched on the original device and hand them over in your police report.