Threats to Share Intimate Images
Threatening to share someone's intimate images or videos without their consent is a form of intimate image abuse and is against the law in the UK.
A threat might come from a current or former partner, friend, family member or someone else you know. They may threaten to send the images to your friends, family or workplace, post them online or share them publicly.
The images don't have to actually be shared for you to seek help. If someone is threatening you with intimate images, there are steps you can take to protect yourself, preserve evidence and get support.
What are threats to share intimate images?
A threat to share intimate images can be explicit or implied. Someone doesn't necessarily have to directly say that they are going to post an image online.
Examples could include someone:
Saying they will post or send your intimate images unless you do what they want
Threatening to send images to your family, friends, partner or colleagues
Threatening to upload intimate images to social media or websites
Showing you screenshots of your contacts and suggesting they will send the images to them
Using intimate images to control, frighten or intimidate you
Repeatedly referring to intimate images during an argument or relationship breakdown in a threatening way
Threatening to share intimate images as part of wider harassment, domestic abuse or controlling behaviour
It doesn't matter whether you originally consented to the image being taken or shared privately with that person. This doesn't mean that you have consented to them sharing it with other people.
How is this different from sextortion?
There can be some overlap, but sextortion usually involves someone using intimate images to demand money, further sexual content or something else from the victim. Sextortion is commonly associated with online scams and organised criminal groups, often operating outside the UK.
Threats to share intimate images can instead involve someone the victim knows, such as a current or former partner, using the threat to cause distress, maintain control or intimidate them.
What does the law say about threats to share intimate images?
It is against the law in the UK to threaten to share someone's intimate images without their consent, although the specific legislation that applies differs depending on where in the UK the incident happened and when it took place.
In England and Wales, threatening to share an intimate image without consent is a criminal offence. Importantly, the image does not have to actually be shared for a threat to be an offence.
A threat may also be against the law even where the intimate image doesn't actually exist. Depending on what else is happening, other offences may also be relevant. For example, repeated threats could form part of harassment, stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour or blackmail.
The Online Safety Act 2023 also places duties on regulated online services to protect UK users, including adults, from illegal content and activity. Platforms generally have their own rules against threats, harassment and non-consensual intimate image sharing too. This means you can report threatening messages or accounts directly to the platform even if the intimate image hasn't actually been posted.
How do I report it?
If someone is threatening to share intimate images of you, there are some steps you can take.
Collect evidence
Before deleting messages or blocking the person, consider saving evidence of the threats.
This could include:
- screenshots of messages containing the threats
- usernames and profile information
- dates and times the messages were sent
- URLs or links to relevant accounts
- details of previous threats or concerning behaviour
If the behaviour has been happening for some time, it can also be useful to create a timeline of events, particularly if the threats are part of wider abuse.
Stop, block and report
Once you've saved the evidence you need, you can consider stopping communication and blocking the person if safe to do so.
You can also report the account and any threatening messages directly to the platform.
If you don't feel comfortable reporting the content yourself, the Revenge Porn Helpline may be able to help you with reporting.
Report it to the police
Threatening to share someone's intimate images without their consent is against the law and can be reported to the police. You can contact the police using 101 or report online.
If you receive a crime or case reference number, keep a record of it. This can make it easier to provide further information or ask for an update without having to repeatedly explain what has happened.
If you're in immediate danger or at risk of physical harm, call 999.
Can I stop my images from being shared?
If you're worried that someone may share intimate images of you, StopNCII.org may be able to help.
StopNCII.org is a free tool that creates a digital fingerprint, known as a hash, of an intimate image or video on your device.
The image itself doesn't leave your device. The hash is shared with participating platforms so they can look for matching content and help prevent it from being shared.
To use StopNCII.org, you must be the person shown in the image or video, have been 18 or over when it was taken, currently be over 18, and have a copy of the image or video on your device.
Further Support
Police
You can report threats to share intimate images by calling
101
or reporting to the police online.
If you're in immediate danger,
CALL 999.