I used to think, "Photos leaked online can be removed quickly, right?" but it turns out it's often much more complicated 😳 Especially with sites like LeakedBB, even DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown requests can be quite troublesome, and I realized they don't get resolved easily 💭
Why Are DMCA Takedown Requests to LeakedBB So Difficult?
A friend's photos were uploaded without permission, and it was really shocking. The person isn't a creator or anything—just had their photos stolen from their smartphone. Despite this situation, LeakedBB seems to have a rule that they only accept DMCA requests from 'business email addresses'... This is quite a high barrier 💦
For example, regular Gmail, Outlook, or Hotmail addresses are rejected—they apparently require formal business emails used by companies. So when individuals try to handle it themselves, it often feels like "Well, that's impossible~" 🥺
What Should You Do?
I also thought at first, "Isn't there an easier way to get them removed?" but here are the key points I learned about dealing with this 👇
- Consulting with lawyers or legal experts is still the safest approach (but this costs money...)
- If possible, prepare certificates or identification documents in the person's name to strengthen the legitimacy of your request
- You can submit DMCA requests directly through LeakedBB's official website, but if you absolutely hit the business email barrier, there's apparently an option to borrow a freelancer's or acquaintance's business email ✨
- Beyond just removing photos, consider filing a police report (important for preserving evidence)
Full Names Clearly Visible Are Really Scary
The fact that their full name was directly attached to the photos makes it psychologically really tough, doesn't it? 🥺 If left as is, there's also the risk of it spreading further...
In situations like this, I realized again that "it's really important not to handle it alone, but to consult with someone or get help from experts" 💡
These kinds of incidents aren't "someone else's problem," and if you or someone close to you experiences the same thing, I felt like we really need to think about how to respond 😮💨 If anyone has good methods, I'd love to exchange information 🎀
Hatena
Comments
クリス
For someone you know, hiring an agent to handle just the DMCA request before getting a lawyer might be an option.
グレース
These sites often have lots of illegal content, and since domain registration is with public companies in the US/Canada, you can report them as sources of unlawful content.
ロバート
DMCA requests can be filed by individuals too, so the operators might be trying to prevent personal submissions. Have you considered asking on r/legaladvice?
ロバート
Notify legal@leakedbb.com directly about your DMCA request, and also contact the domain registrar and hosting company. Tell them if they don't respond, you'll involve the police.
リリー
Sending an official notice from a lawyer is the most reliable method.
サラ
(deleted)
ベン
How old is the girl in the photos?
エイダン
Update: I managed to get everything removed from Google and Google Images. I also reported two other sites I found to Cloudflare, and they were gone within a day—I was surprised.
ロバート
Now it's just LeakedBB remaining. I submitted a DMCA request last night, so hopefully it works out. Currently, the photos can only be accessed via saved URLs, and the site doesn't seem to have a search function.
ハンナ
Do you know how the photos ended up online? Did she send them to an ex? To get the truth from the person involved, you'll need to be prepared to ask questions they might find even more uncomfortable than having friends see the photos. Did they sell them, exchange them for something, or just send them casually?
