How to block your private photos from spreading online: StopNCII.org, Ghana's law, how to report and prison terms

• StopNCII.org allows adults to prevent intimate images from being shared online without uploading the images themselves by using secure hashing technology.

• Ghana's Cybersecurity Act imposes severe penalties for sextortion, revenge porn and other forms of non-consensual intimate image abuse.

• Victims should avoid paying extortion demands, preserve evidence and report incidents to the Cyber Security Authority, the Ghana Police Service and the relevant online platform.

One of the most effective tools available is StopNCII.org, while Ghana's Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) provides some of the country's strongest legal protections against the creation, sharing or threatened distribution of intimate images without consent.

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StopNCII.org is a free online platform that helps adults prevent their intimate images from being shared online without consent.

The service is operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline, part of SWGfL, a UK-based not-for-profit organisation established in 2000 to promote safer use of technology.

Launched in December 2021, the platform is supported by major technology companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, Reddit, X, Bumble and Microsoft Bing, enabling participating platforms to detect and remove intimate images that have been reported.

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Unlike traditional reporting systems, StopNCII.org does not require users to upload their intimate images.

Instead, it generates a unique digital hash, or fingerprint, directly on the user's device. Only this encrypted fingerprint is shared with participating platforms, meaning the original image never leaves the user's phone or computer.

Because a hash cannot be reversed to recreate the original image, users' privacy is protected throughout the process.

If a matching image is uploaded to a participating platform, it can be detected and removed if it breaches that platform's intimate image abuse policy.

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The system can also work proactively. If an image is registered before it is shared online, participating platforms may prevent it from being uploaded in the first place.

After registering a case, users receive a case number and PIN, which are required to monitor the progress of their request. These details cannot be recovered if lost.

According to the platform, it does not collect users' names, email addresses or telephone numbers, while IP addresses are retained only temporarily for technical purposes.

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The platform is available only to adults aged 18 years and above who appear in the images they wish to protect.

It does not cover cases involving children, AI-generated intimate images or audio recordings. It also works only on websites and services that have partnered with StopNCII.org.

Despite these limitations, the Revenge Porn Helpline says it has helped remove more than 300,000 non-consensual intimate images since 2015, with a reported success rate of around 90%.

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Ghana's Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) creates separate offences for different forms of intimate image abuse.

Section 66 criminalises sexual extortion (sextortion), where someone threatens to distribute intimate images to extort money, sexual favours or other benefits. Conviction carries a prison sentence of 10 to 25 years, with no option of a fine.

Section 67 makes it an offence to intentionally distribute an intimate image of an identifiable person without consent where there was a reasonable expectation of privacy and the intention was to cause serious emotional distress. The offence attracts one to three years' imprisonment.

Section 68 covers threats to distribute intimate images, even where money or sexual favours are not demanded. The penalty is also one to three years' imprisonment.

The Act imposes even tougher sanctions for offences involving children, including the production, possession or distribution of indecent images and online grooming.

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The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) advises victims not to pay anyone demanding money in exchange for withholding intimate images, as payment does not guarantee the images will be deleted and often leads to further extortion.

Victims should immediately stop communicating with the offender and preserve all available evidence, including screenshots, usernames, web links and payment requests.

Incidents can be reported to the CSA through:

• Short code: 292

• WhatsApp: 0501603111

• Email: report@csa.gov.gh

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Victims should also report the matter to the Ghana Police Service's Cybercrime Unit, which investigates cyber-enabled offences, and to the relevant social media or online platform where the abuse occurred. Cases involving women and children can also be referred to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).

According to the CSA, Ghana recorded 155 sextortion and online blackmail cases between January and April 2025, with victims losing nearly GH¢500,000 during the period.

The Authority says perpetrators typically create fake profiles on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, build trust with victims, move conversations to private messaging applications and eventually persuade them to share intimate images or participate in explicit video calls. The content is then used to demand money or other favours.

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As sextortion cases continue to rise, cybersecurity experts advise Ghanaians to avoid sharing intimate content online, use privacy tools such as StopNCII.org where necessary, and report incidents promptly to prevent further harm.