What Happened
The Federal Trade Commission said Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent letters to more than a dozen major technology companies reminding them to comply with the Take It Down Act by May 19.
The FTC said the law requires covered platforms to create a process for victims, including children, to request removal of intimate photos or videos shared without consent. The agency said platforms must provide clear notice, remove validly reported images and identical copies within 48 hours, and face penalties for noncompliance.
The letters went to companies including Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Automattic, Bumble, Discord, Match Group, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, SmugMug, Snapchat, TikTok and X.
Why This Matters
This is serious. Nonconsensual intimate imagery ruins lives, and victims should not have to become full-time unpaid investigators just to get platforms to stop hosting abuse.
The internet, however, has spent decades perfecting the art of making simple reporting tasks feel like applying for a mortgage through a broken vending machine. So Congress and the FTC are now basically saying: build the button, label the button, and when the button is properly pressed, do the thing.
The Dumb Part With The Legal Egg Timer
The dumb part is that “remove abuse material quickly” had to become a statutory countdown clock. Forty-eight hours. Not someday. Not after trust-and-safety sends the ticket to the policy vibes committee. Forty-eight hours.
Also, identical copies count. That matters because the internet’s favorite trick is pretending each reposted copy is a brand-new philosophical puzzle. No, champ. It is the same garbage wearing a different URL hat.
The Bottom Line
The FTC says it is ready to monitor compliance, investigate violations and enforce the law. The named platforms have until May 19 to be ready.
If this works, victims get a clearer path to removal. If it does not, we will learn which tech giants still need federal instructions to locate the giant red “stop hosting abuse” lever.
Sources
FTC: Chairman Ferguson advises companies to comply with the Take It Down Act
FTC business guidance: Complying with the Take It Down Act