Revenge Porn and Non-Consensual Images.
Your rights. Your remedies.

Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) — also called revenge porn, though the name is misleading because it implies the victim did something wrong — is the sharing of sexual or intimate images without the subject's consent. It may be shared by an ex-partner after a breakup, by someone who obtained images through hacking, by a sextortionist, or by anyone who was entrusted with private images and chose to weaponise that trust.

In Pakistan, it is a criminal offence. Globally, it is increasingly prosecuted. You have more recourse than you may believe.

The Pakistan law — PECA 2016, Section 21

The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, Section 21, makes it a criminal offence to intentionally and publicly exhibit, display, or transmit any information through any information system that:

• Is obscene, lewd, or designed to corrupt morals
• Is shared without consent of the person depicted
• Is used to harass, intimidate, or harm the subject

Penalty: Up to 5 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to PKR 10 million.

The FIA has prosecuted cases under this section. Convictions have occurred. The law is functional.

How to get images removed — platforms

StopNCII.org — the most important first step

StopNCII creates a digital fingerprint (hash) of your image — without you having to share the image itself with anyone — and distributes it to partner platforms. Those platforms can then automatically detect and remove the image if it is uploaded. Partners include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pornhub, Reddit, and others. You do this once. The hash works across all partner platforms simultaneously.

Individual platform reports

• Google — support.google.com/websearch/troubleshooter/9685456 — Non-consensual explicit content removal. Google removes from search results and from Google-hosted services.
• Facebook/Instagram — facebook.com/help/1991528324426164 — Dedicated NCII removal flow. Usually processed within 24–48 hours.
• X/Twitter — help.twitter.com/forms/private_information — Intimate media policy, removal within 48 hours typically.
• WhatsApp — Report the account sharing the content. WhatsApp can terminate accounts sharing NCII.
• TikTok — Direct NCII report in platform. TikTok has zero tolerance policy.
• Pornhub/major adult sites — All major adult content platforms have NCII removal policies. Email trust-and-safety teams directly if the platform form does not work.

Filing a case with FIA

• Gather evidence — Screenshots of where the content appeared, URLs, any messages from the person who shared it, any identifying information about who shared it. Do not delete anything.
• Call 0800-02345 or visit complaint.fia.gov.pk — File a formal complaint under PECA Section 21. You will need to provide a statement and your evidence.
• Get a complaint number — This is important. Follow up. The FIA Cybercrime Wing is overloaded but they do investigate. A complaint number creates a paper trail and may accelerate the investigation if you have good evidence.
• Consider a civil action in addition — A lawyer can file for an injunction preventing further distribution while the criminal case proceeds. This is an option if you have the resources.

If the images were shared by an ex-partner

This is the most common NCII scenario in Pakistan. Images shared in trust during a relationship are used as a weapon after it ends. This is not a private matter. It is a crime.

Common patterns:

• Direct threats before sharing — "If you don't do X, I will share these." This is additional criminal exposure for the perpetrator — it is extortion as well as NCII.
• Sharing to mutual contacts or family — Designed to cause maximum social and familial harm. This is targeted harassment and is prosecutable.
• Posting to public platforms or WhatsApp groups — Prosecutable under PECA and under defamation law.
• Using images to stalk or control — If someone is using intimate images to control your behaviour, this is also a domestic abuse pattern and other legal protections may apply.

For men specifically

NCII is not only a women's issue. Men are also targeted — in sextortion scams, in relationship breakdowns, and through hacking. The law protects all genders equally under PECA 2016.

Men face a specific additional barrier: social shame prevents reporting. A man who was recorded during a video call, or whose intimate images were shared by an ex-partner, may feel that reporting will expose him to more scrutiny than the perpetrator. This is not accurate — the FIA treats NCII victims with the same confidentiality regardless of gender — but it is a real felt barrier.

The images were taken or shared without your consent. That makes you a victim of a crime. Report it.

Prevention — before anything happens

• Be conscious of what you share and with whom — Once an image exists on someone else's device, you cannot control it. This is not victim-blaming. It is a practical reality of digital media.
• Understand that screenshots are trivial — "Disappearing" messages on Snapchat, WhatsApp, or Instagram can be screenshotted. Voice notes can be recorded. Video calls can be captured. The technical barrier to recording is zero.
• Trust is earned slowly in real relationships — Anyone who pushes quickly for intimate content before a genuine relationship is established is a risk. This applies online and in person.
• Your face in a photo or video is identifying information — People who are deliberately cautious about intimate imagery online do not include their face. This is a personal choice, not a shame response.
• Use platforms with strong accountability — Platforms where users are held accountable for their behaviour, where identities are more verified, where bad actors are visible — reduce the risk.

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