Who has to comply with the TAKE IT DOWN Act?

Any “covered platform” — a website, app or online service that primarily provides a forum for user-generated content, or that in the regular course of business publishes intimate visual depictions. The FTC names social media, messaging, image and video sharing, and gaming services. Being small is not a defence.

What makes a removal request valid?

A written request from the depicted person or an authorised representative, carrying a physical or electronic signature, information sufficient to locate the depiction, a good-faith statement that it was published without consent, and contact details. The TrustDesk form collects exactly those four things.

What happens if we miss the 48 hours?

The FTC treats a failure to remove a valid report within 48 hours as an unfair or deceptive act or practice. Civil penalties reach $53,088 per violation, and anyone can report a non-compliant platform directly to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Is the policy generator really free?

Yes. Give us your platform name, URL and a contact address and you get the policy text plus a footer snippet to paste, with no account and no card. Host it wherever you like — the text is yours to keep. We hold the email so we can tell you if the rules change.

What is the difference between the kit and the hosted desk?

The $59 kit is bought once: your own hosted report form, the policy text and the footer snippet, and an operator email whenever somebody reports something. The $15-a-month desk adds the parts that have to keep running — a 48-hour deadline on every report, an hourly sweep that escalates anything close to the line, and an append-only evidence log.

How long does setup take?

Minutes. Checkout gives you a report link for your platform, the policy text and the footer snippet. Paste the link into your footer and you are receiving reports — there is nothing to install and no SDK.

TrustDesk · document

TrustDesk alternatives

Not every covered platform buys a hosted desk. Here is what a platform actually gets from the free route, the trust and safety suite route, and a law firm, against the statute's four requirements: intake, the 48-hour clock, identical-copy removal and the evidence log.

Last verified September 4, 2026

StopNCII.org, read 4 September 2026: A free hash-matching service for consenting adults: a person hashes their own image locally and StopNCII.org shares the hash with participating platforms to detect re-uploads. It is not a notice-and-removal intake form and does not track a 48-hour statutory clock.; stopncii.org, How it works
Cinder's own positioning, read 4 September 2026: Integrates StopNCII.org hash-matching into a trust and safety platform for platforms already partnered with StopNCII.org; contact-sales pricing, no published intake form or clock for this specific duty; cinder.ai

The free route: StopNCII.org direct

StopNCII.org, read live on 4 September 2026, lets a person hash an intimate image on their own device and shares that hash with participating platforms so a matching upload can be caught. It is free and it is not a notice-and-removal program: it does not publish a public intake form for a named platform to host, does not track the 48-hour removal clock PL 119-12 §3 sets, and covers only content that has already been hashed into its database. What a valid removal request actually needs covers the statute’s own intake requirement in full.

The suite route: a trust and safety platform

Cinder, read live on 4 September 2026, integrates StopNCII.org hash-matching into a broader moderation platform, for a platform that is already a StopNCII.org Industry Partner. Its own material names hash-matching and enforcement routing, not a public intake form, a 48-hour clock, or a per-request evidence log for this specific duty. Pricing is by sales contact. The full comparison is here.

The counsel route: a law firm on retainer

Outside counsel can advise on a platform’s exposure and draft a policy, billed hourly on request rather than at a published rate. Counsel, build it yourself, or hosted goes through this option alongside building the four pieces in house.

Where TrustDesk fits

TrustDesk is the intake form, the 48-hour clock, identical-copy removal and the evidence log built directly against the statute’s own four requirements. $59 once for the kit, self-hosted, or $15 a month for the hosted desk. See every option on one grid.

TrustDesk is not affiliated with StopNCII.org, Cinder, or any firm named above. Every figure here is what the named source stated on 4 September 2026 and is linked so it can be checked directly; it changes without notice. Nothing here is legal advice.