Telegram Group Sharing My Photos: How to Get Them Removed

A friend sends you a screenshot. Your photo, maybe a selfie from your Instagram or a picture from a family event, is sitting in a Telegram group or channel you have never joined, with comments under it from people you do not know. You want it taken down, and you want to know who can actually do that.

The short answer: save the evidence, report each message inside Telegram, and email Telegram's takedown address with the exact links. If the group is private, or the photos come with threats, take it to the police and MCMC as well, because Telegram treats private groups differently.

This guide covers ordinary photos shared without your consent: what Telegram says it will and will not act on, the reports that fit each situation, the Malaysian routes, and the people selling fake takedowns. It is general information, not legal advice.

Last checked: 5 October 2026.

#How Do You Get Your Photo Removed From a Telegram Group?

Open the message with your photo and use Telegram's Report option, choosing the reason that fits. Then email [email protected] with the t.me links to the group and the message, as Telegram's takedown FAQ asks. Before either, save screenshots that show the group name, the date and the poster's username. If the group is public, Telegram's moderators review it under its rules. If the group is private, Telegram says it treats private chats as private among their members, so a police report and an MCMC complaint usually carry more weight. If you took the photo yourself, a copyright notice to [email protected] is also open to you for public content. Telegram decides what it removes, and lawful content you simply dislike may stay up.

#Public or Private: Why It Changes Everything

Telegram has two very different kinds of spaces. A public group or channel has a username and a t.me link that anyone can open. A private group is reached only by invitation or a private invite link. Telegram's own FAQ draws a sharp line between them.

In its answer on takedown requests from third parties, Telegram says it processes legitimate requests to take down illegal public content, such as sticker sets, bots, groups and channels, after performing the necessary legal checks. In its copyright answer, it goes further: private groups and chats are private amongst their participants, and Telegram says it does not process any requests related to them.

That does not make a private group a lawless space. It means Telegram itself is unlikely to step in, so the police, MCMC and sometimes a lawyer matter more. Report in the app anyway.

#Step 1: Save the Evidence Before Anything Else

Groups delete messages, change names and disappear. Once a message is gone you cannot report it, and the police and MCMC will want to see what was there. See our guide to collecting evidence before you report harassment for more.

• The group or channel name, and its t.me link or @username if it has one.
• A screenshot of each message with your photo, showing the group name, the date and the poster's username in the same frame.
• The message link, where the app offers a Copy Link option on that message.
• The poster's display name, @username and profile screenshot, as shown on screen.
• Captions, comments and any messages that threaten you, name you or give out your details.
• The date and time you found each item, and who told you about it.
• Every report reference, email reply and police report number as they come in.

#Step 2: Report Each Message Inside Telegram

Telegram's takedown FAQ says every Telegram app has a Report button for flagging content to its moderators. Report each message that carries your photo, not just one of them.

1. On Android, tap the message and choose Report from the menu.
2. On iPhone, press and hold the message, then choose Report.
3. On Telegram Desktop, Telegram Web or Telegram for macOS, right-click the message and choose Report.
4. Pick the reason closest to the truth. Telegram asks you to choose an appropriate reason, so do not pick a more serious one to get attention.
5. Repeat for each message, then note the date you reported it.

If you cannot see the group because you are not a member, do not join under a fake name to get in. Ask the person who showed you the screenshot to report it from their own account, honestly, and rely on your email and the Malaysian routes below.

#Step 3: Email Telegram's Takedown Address

Telegram runs an automated takedown address, [email protected]. Its FAQ says a takedown email must include links to the content, either t.me links or @usernames, so its moderators can find it. Without links, there is little Telegram can act on.

• Subject line: a short description, such as "My photos posted without consent in a public channel".
• The t.me link or @username of the group or channel, and each message link you saved.
• One or two plain sentences: you are the person in the photos, you did not agree to them being posted there, and what else is happening (abusive captions, your name, your contact details).
• The dates you found and reported the messages.

Send one clear email per group. Sending the same complaint dozens of times does not speed anything up.

#If You Took the Photo: the Copyright Route

If you took the photo yourself, you are generally its copyright owner, which gives you a rights-based route that does not depend on whether Telegram thinks the post breaks its other rules. If someone else took the photo of you, such as a professional photographer, the copyright usually sits with them, and they or their authorised agent would need to send the notice. This is general information, not legal advice.

Telegram's copyright FAQ says that if a bot, channel, sticker set or other content on its public platform infringes your copyright, you can complain to [email protected]. It says only the copyright owner, or an agent authorised to act for them, should send these requests, and that it does not process requests about private groups and chats.

#Malaysian Routes: Police, MCMC and Cyber999

Telegram is not outside Malaysian rules. According to MCMC's news portal, Telegram obtained an Application Service Provider Class licence from MCMC on 2 January 2025, becoming the third internet messaging and social media service licensed under the new requirements. The Online Safety Act 2025 has been in force since 1 January 2026, according to MCMC's page for the Act. How any law applies to your photos is for the authorities or a lawyer to decide.

• Police (PDRM): make a report at the nearest station if the photos come with threats, extortion, harassment or claims about you that may be defamatory. MCMC's complaint page lists PDRM for threats to life or property, cheating by personation and criminal defamation. Bring your printed screenshots and links rather than the photos themselves.
• MCMC: the same page lists "Content on menacing, obscene, false, indecent & offensive" under Online Content Problems, and gives the complaint portal at aduan.mcmc.gov.my. Attach your links, screenshots, dates and Telegram report references.
• CyberSecurity Malaysia Cyber999: if your photos were taken from a hacked phone, cloud account or Telegram account, report the incident through MyCERT's Cyber999 reporting channel, and secure the account using our guide to a hacked Telegram account.
• A lawyer: for defamation, a persistent campaign, or when you want a court order. MCMC's page lists civil action alongside the police for defamation.

#Things That Make Removal Harder

• Reporting before saving evidence. If the group deletes the message, your proof goes with it.
• Joining the group under a fake name or a borrowed account to collect proof or argue. It can expose you and break Telegram's rules.
• Organising friends to mass report, or choosing a false reason. Telegram asks for an appropriate reason, and a pile of dishonest reports helps nobody.
• Messaging the poster or the admins in anger. It can push them to repost elsewhere or target you further.
• Trying to find out who is behind an anonymous account. Leave that to the police, who have lawful ways to ask.

#What Telegram Will Probably Not Do

Be ready for a slow or silent answer. Telegram's FAQ describes reviewing reports and taking content down when it decides that is appropriate, and its Terms of Service focus on spam, scams, violence and illegal pornographic content on publicly viewable channels and bots, alongside activity illegal in most countries. A normal photo of you, posted with an unkind caption, may not cross that line in Telegram's view, even when it feels very wrong to you.

It also helps to know what you control yourself. Telegram's FAQ on deleting messages says you can delete any message you sent or received in a one-to-one chat for both sides, but in groups you can delete only your own messages. If you once posted the photo in a group yourself, delete it there. Copies others have saved or forwarded stay where they are.

#When a Case Review Makes Sense

Everything above you can do yourself, and those official routes are the ones that actually lead to removal. SocialSafe by AwareXone, our recovery and content removal service, can help in narrower cases: when your photos appear across several groups and platforms, when they are tied to an impersonation or hacked account, or when you need help turning evidence into clear, honest reports. We never file false or mass reports, we cannot delete a Telegram group, and Telegram or the authorities decide what comes down. Our content removal page explains what we do and do not handle, and our Trust Center sets out what we never ask for, including your passwords and login codes. If someone has made a whole fake account with your photos, our guide to a fake Telegram account impersonating you covers that route.

#Frequently Asked Questions