US Tech Giants Face Scrutiny Over Take It Down Act Compliance Timelines
While major platforms confirm support for the legislation, reporting mechanisms vary in accessibility, with some companies delaying portal launches or relying on complex third-party forms.
The Take It Down Act came into force in the United States on 19 May 2026, imposing new obligations on technology platforms to facilitate the reporting and removal of nonconsensual intimate images and videos (NCII). Backed by First Lady Melania Trump and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the legislation requires companies to establish accessible takedown portals within a year of its passage. WIRED investigated 14 companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft, which confirmed support for the act and detailed their compliance methods, ranging from dedicated help forms to industry tools like StopNCII.
Compliance efforts have shown significant variance in execution. While some platforms launched reporting systems on the effective date, others faced scrutiny for delayed responses or complex submission processes. At least two companies host their forms on third-party websites, potentially complicating access for users. One company assured WIRED of a secure reporting form but only provided a link after multiple follow-ups, while two others updated their support pages only after WIRED reached out. Several firms stated they planned to launch reporting forms only on the day the law became enforceable.
The FTC guidelines emphasise that platforms must make it easy for individuals to submit removal requests. Jennifer King, a fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, noted that the reporting mechanism is often overlooked by companies. She highlighted that many potential reporters may be teenagers who are not familiar with the legal terminology often found in compliance forms, and that platforms frequently fail to test these systems with younger users.
Under the law, platforms have 48 hours to determine the validity of a request and must remove valid content, including identical copies, within that timeframe. A valid request must include a method to locate the content, a statement confirming the material was not uploaded consensually, a signature from the depicted person or an authorised representative, and contact details. Several larger platforms, including Reddit, TikTok, Snap, Microsoft Bing, and Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, utilise the StopNCII tool, which employs matching algorithms maintained by a British nonprofit to identify abusive imagery.
Despite the broad support, some major entities did not respond to WIRED’s outreach. Elon Musk’s X Corp., Proton AG, and Verizon remained silent. T-Mobile clarified that it does not operate the types of online platforms covered by the act, as its core business of wireless and broadband services is explicitly excluded. Meanwhile, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and others provided specific instructions for filing requests, with Meta stating it had been compliant for several months and Microsoft highlighting its “Report a Concern” form for services like Bing Search and OneDrive.
