Adult Deepfake First-Response Checklist

For the method in If There Is an AI Deepfake of You: An Adult First-Response Plan. First-response guidance, not legal advice. For a child depicted, use the child deepfake response plan instead.

Not for

A minor depicted in the content. Stop and use the child deepfake first-response checklist, which covers NCMEC’s Take It Down and CyberTipline reporting.

Step 1: Preserve evidence without amplifying it

• URL, platform, account name, date/time recorded
• Non-sexual context screenshotted (post, comments, profile) if relevant
• Sexual/intimate content: NOT downloaded, screenshotted, or forwarded unless a tool you are about to use already requires a local file you control
• Not sent to friends/family/lawyer “to show them” unless a professional handling the case asked for it

Step 2: Report through the right tool

Sexual/intimate imagery of an adult (18+):

• File already on a device you control: checked StopNCII.org’s current eligibility first. It is for an adult depicted who was 18 or older in the image/video and still has the file; the file stays on the device while a hash is shared. Do not make a new copy merely to use it.
• Only saw it on someone else’s feed / chat / public page: did NOT download it just to hash it; recorded URL + description; reported via the platform’s intimate-image / abuse tool
• Platform abuse report filed either way
• US: first used the platform’s Take It Down Act removal process; if that process was missing/broken or the platform did not remove the image and known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request, reported the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov
• Understood that StopNCII’s hash is used by participating platforms, not the whole internet, so platform reports and jurisdiction-specific routes may still be needed

Non-sexual manipulated/impersonation content:

• Reported via the platform’s specific abuse/safety category (not a general contact form)

Step 3: Decide who else needs to know (your choice, not automatic)

• Specific trusted people informed, if any (deliberate, not a wide announcement)
• Employer informed, if relevant to role/reputation
• Therapist/counselor contacted, if this is affecting you significantly

Step 4: Law enforcement, if there is a threat or extortion

• Not paid, not complying with escalating demands
• Threatening messages preserved
• Followed current platform, lawyer, advocate, or law-enforcement instructions for preserving sensitive evidence securely; did not create or circulate extra copies
• Reported to law enforcement / official channels:
  • US adults: TakeItDown.ftc.gov for a missing/broken platform removal process or failure to remove within 48 hours; ic3.gov + local law enforcement for threats/extortion/fraud
  • Estonia: cyber.politsei.ee (see also RIA internet-safety guidance)
  • Elsewhere: your national cybercrime reporting channel
• If a minor is involved: stopped and switched to the child deepfake response plan
• If immediate physical danger: contacted emergency services directly

Step 5: Legal counsel (if beyond removal)

• Considered for: compensation, formal complaint, situations involving a partner/ex-partner/employer/custody matter

Do not delay reporting to “prove” it’s synthetic

• Reported first, regardless of certainty about how the content was produced

Bookmark before you need it

• StopNCII.org (check current eligibility; adult intimate imagery; on-device hash shared with participating platforms)
• TakeItDown.ftc.gov (US FTC portal for a missing/broken platform removal process or failure to act within 48 hours of a valid request)
• ic3.gov (US internet crime complaints)
• Your national cybercrime reporting page