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As you explore the internet, you may happen upon a website with illegal content. This content may be shocking, disturbing, or harmful. The most valuable affair you tin can do is report the website to law enforcement. If the website is hosted by a blogging or social media platform, you can too contact the platform itself to get the content removed. As another option, you may be able to become the site removed from search engine search results. The website will yet exist at that place, but people will have a much harder fourth dimension finding it.

  1. ane

    Gather information about the website. At a minimum, re-create the URL of the website so you can give that to law enforcement. If you lot can find any other data nearly the website, such every bit the proper noun of the administrator or their location, write this downward equally well.[1]

    • Accept screenshots of the content, since the website administrator may move it earlier law enforcement get a take chances to see it.

  2. 2

    Phone call local law enforcement if the content poses an firsthand threat. Some content may be direct threatening you or your family. If the content is harming yous personally, your local police enforcement can accept steps to eliminate it.[2]

    • For case, if someone is displaying private photos of you without your permission, your local law enforcement may be able to do something well-nigh it.
    • If someone is directly harassing you or threatening you online and you believe they are a threat to your personal safety, you should also call local police enforcement.

    Tip: In most situations, calling the emergency number for law enforcement is inappropriate when you're dealing with illegal content on the internet, even if information technology'south dangerous or threatening. Call the non-emergency number or go to the nearest police station in person to file a study.

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  3. 3

    Discover the right reporting website for your land. Each land has its own law enforcement agency that combats criminal offence on the internet, including the posting of illegal content. Illegal content might include involuntary pornography, sexual abuse material, or detest spoken communication. Typically, yous can submit your report online through the agency's website.[3]

    • Europol has a list of websites where you can report illegal content at https://www.europol.europa.eu/written report-a-crime/report-illegal-content-on-the-cyberspace. Simply coil through the list and click the link for your country. Many countries take the website bachelor in multiple languages.

  4. iv

    Written report to INHOPE from whatever land. INHOPE is the International Organisation of Net Hotlines. The system takes reports of illegal content on the net and forwards the report to the right police enforcement agency.[four]

  5. 5

    Provide information about the website and its illegal content. In your report, tell law enforcement everything you lot were able to find out well-nigh the website and the illegal content posted at that place. Stick to the facts, merely provide equally many details every bit possible, including when you lot last accessed the site and how yous found it. All of this information can help law enforcement track down those responsible for the content.[5]

    • If you have screenshots or other digital files, you can typically upload them to the website as part of your report. If your country's law enforcement bureau doesn't allow uploads, land in your report that you have these files available. A law enforcement officer may be in touch with you to go them.
    • Print a re-create of your report or save it on your figurer for your records. If you learn whatever boosted information nigh the website, follow up with law enforcement to add that information to your report.

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  1. 1

    Place the platform that hosts the content. Ofttimes, the platform hosting the content will exist fairly obvious, such as if you're looking at a Facebook page. However, on other hosting sites, such equally Tumblr and WordPress, the owner of the page tin create a custom URL that obscures the platform.

    • If the platform is obscured, look towards the bottom of the page. You lot'll typically discover a logo or the name of the platform somewhere towards the lesser, with the copyright information. For example, yous might meet "Powered by WordPress" on a WordPress page, fifty-fifty if "wordpress" does not appear in the URL.

  2. ii

    Search for the link to study the content. The homepage of the hosting platform typically will take a link where you can study offensive or illegal content. You lot may run across it in the banners at the very summit or the very lesser of the page.

    • Wait in the "help" or "support" department if you lot're having trouble finding the correct place to report. Y'all can also search for the word "report" and encounter what comes upward.
    • Many platforms also have a link directly on the offensive page or post that allows you to written report the content. These links typically only work if you take an account on the platform.

    Tip: It'due south normally easier to written report content within the platform if y'all accept an account on that platform. This is especially true with social media platforms. However, you don't have to set up up an account to report offensive or illegal content you lot notice at that place.

  3. 3

    Fill out a form describing the content. Some platforms have a total grade for you to fill out. For others, you simply identify the content that y'all want the platform to remove. The platform may non even ask for your contact information.

    • Generally, information technology'south a good idea to find a link where you tin provide contact data with your report. If yous don't provide any contact information, the platform won't exist able to permit y'all know what actions were taken regarding the content.
    • If you've likewise contacted police force enforcement, send a message to the platform's support team and let them know. They may need to accept special steps to preserve the content, fifty-fifty if they remove it from public view or ban the account that posted it.

  4. four

    Follow up with the hosting platform to ensure the content is removed. Often, if a user is posting illegal content, the platform will simply ban the user. This removes not only the illegal content simply also the user'south entire account. The platform may send you an e-mail to let you lot know that the user has been banned.

    • Often, the platform won't contact you again to let you know the content was removed. The easiest way to find out is to search for the content over again. If y'all don't run into it, that typically means it'southward been removed or the user has been banned.
    • If you search for the content once again and are able to find it, or if the user has created another business relationship and reposted the content, go back through the steps of notifying the platform once again.

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  1. i

    Copy the URL for the website where the illegal content appears. If you want to accept a website with illegal content removed from the search results of a search engine, provide the principal URL for the website. Copy direct links to the illegal content as well.[half-dozen]

    • Proceed in mind that if you only remove the directly links to the illegal content, the website administrator may but move the content to some other accost. If the unabridged website contains nothing but illegal content, you may exist able to get the unabridged website removed from search results.

  2. 2

    Navigate to the back up page for the search engine. If you can't find the link immediately, search for "support" with the name of the search engine. It should take you right to the page you need. You lot tin besides search for "remove page from search results" and meet what comes upwardly.[vii]

  3. 3

    Review the search engine's removal policy. Different search engines accept different policies regarding the types of content they might remove from search results. Most pop search engines, such as Google, take a general policy of not removing illegal content from search results, even if it is securely shocking.[8]

    • For example, Google volition simply remove content if information technology is involuntary simulated pornography and you lot are the person in the photo, or if the content explicitly depicts the sexual abuse of minors. If you're seeking the removal of nude photographs of yourself, you must prove that the image is faux and that information technology was distributed without your consent.

    Tip: In most cases, it is difficult to take illegal content removed from search results. Typically, the all-time option is to go through law enforcement. Y'all can besides contact the site's administrator to have the content removed.

  4. 4

    Complete the course to remove the site. To get a site removed from search results, you must provide your full legal name and the country where you live. You as well must provide an email so the search engine can follow up with you regarding your report.[9]

    • Typically, you lot need a straight URL for the content yous draw in your report. However, you lot might also include the URL for the main site in case the content is moved.

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  • Sometimes, illegal content is a matter of the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted material. In that situation, information technology is up to the owner of the original content to enforce their copyright. If yous're concerned nearly the presence of the content, contact the copyright possessor and allow them know almost information technology.

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