Having your photos stolen and posted on escort or adult websites without your consent is a deeply violating experience that can have serious personal, professional, and emotional consequences. This form of image-based abuse, sometimes called 'stolen photo trafficking,' affects thousands of people every year, and the perpetrators often operate with impunity because victims do not know how to find the unauthorized content or how to get it removed. A face search engine like facesearching gives you the ability to take control of the situation by enabling you to find someone by photo, including your own photos, across the entire public web. This tutorial will walk you through the process of using reverse face search to check whether your photos have been posted on escort or adult websites without your consent, and what to do if you find them.
Step 1: Gather the Photos You Want to Search
Start by gathering the photos you want to check. The most important photos to search are your social media profile pictures, as these are the most commonly stolen because they are publicly accessible and show your face clearly. Also include any photos you have posted publicly on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other platforms. If you suspect that specific photos may have been stolen, perhaps because someone mentioned seeing them or because you received a suspicious message, include those as well. For the best face search results, use clear, front-facing photos where your face is well-lit and unobstructed. Avoid photos with sunglasses, masks, heavy filters, or extreme angles, as these can reduce the accuracy of the facial matching. For more on checking for stolen photos, see our guide on how to check if your photos are being used by scammers.
Step 2: Run a Reverse Face Search on Each Photo
Go to facesearching and upload each photo one at a time. The face search engine will scan across the public web, including escort directories, adult websites, social media platforms, classified ad sites, and other online sources, to find where your face appears. Each search typically takes 30 to 60 seconds. It is important to search multiple photos, not just one, because a scammer may have stolen photos from different points in time, and different photos may yield different results. Pay close attention to the search results. If your face appears on any escort or adult website, it will be listed in the results along with the URL. Even if you do not find your photos on escort sites specifically, the search may reveal other unauthorized uses of your images that you were not aware of, such as fake social media profiles or scam accounts.
Step 3: Review and Document All Unauthorized Uses
If your face search reveals that your photos are being used on escort or adult websites without your consent, it is essential to document everything thoroughly before taking action. Take screenshots of each page where your photos appear, making sure to capture the full URL, the date, and the content of the page. Save these screenshots in a secure location. Note the date you discovered the unauthorized use and any other relevant details, such as whether the photos are accompanied by false personal information, whether they link to your real social media accounts, and whether the content appears to be part of a larger pattern of harassment or stalking. This documentation will be important for takedown requests, law enforcement reports, and any potential legal action. For guidance on reporting impersonation, read our article on how to report online impersonation to authorities.
Stolen photos on escort websites are not just an invasion of privacy, they are a form of image-based abuse. Document everything, take action quickly, and remember that you have legal rights and practical tools to fight back.
Step 4: Take Action to Remove the Unauthorized Content
Once you have documented the unauthorized use, take action to get the content removed. Most reputable websites have procedures for reporting unauthorized content and will remove it upon request, especially when it involves stolen photos. Submit a takedown request to each website where your photos appear, clearly stating that the photos are being used without your consent. If you are in the United States, you can file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notice, which requires the website to remove the infringing content. If the website is hosted outside the United States, different laws may apply, but most platforms have policies against non-consensual content. If the content is part of a pattern of harassment, stalking, or extortion, report it to law enforcement. Many jurisdictions now have specific laws against non-consensual distribution of intimate images and image-based abuse. You should also report the unauthorized use to the platform where the photos were originally stolen from, if you can identify it. Remember that you are not alone in this situation, and there are resources available to help. Start by running a comprehensive search on facesearching to find every instance of unauthorized use of your photos.