Someone Posted a Video of Me Without Consent: What to Do

Someone filmed you at work, at a shop counter, in an argument or just walking past, and now the clip is on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. You did not agree to it, people are sharing it, and you want it gone.

The short answer: save the link and a dated screenshot, ask the uploader to remove it if that is safe, then file the platform's privacy report as the person shown. If the video mocks, threatens or targets you, report it as harassment too, and in Malaysia you can also report it to MCMC or the police.

This guide covers ordinary videos posted without consent: what each platform will and will not remove, how to file a report that gets read properly, and what to avoid. It is general information, not legal advice.

Last checked: 5 October 2026.

#Can You Get a Video of You Removed if It Was Posted Without Your Consent?

Sometimes, but not always. Every major platform lets the person in the video, or a parent or guardian for a young child, report it as a privacy violation with the exact link. The platform then decides whether its rules or the local law require removal. A clip filmed in a public place, with nothing harmful in it, often stays up. A video that identifies you and causes real harm, exposes private details, or is used to harass you has a much better chance. Asking the uploader directly is often the fastest route of all.

#First, Is This an Urgent Safety Case?

Some videos need a faster route. Check this first.

• The video is intimate or sexual, real or AI made: report it in the app straight away, make a police report, and if you are 18 or over and were 18 or over when it was taken, open a free case at StopNCII.org, which creates a digital fingerprint of the image on your own device so participating platforms can detect copies. Our guide to intimate images posted without consent walks through every step gently, at your pace.
• The video shows your child: parents have their own routes on each platform. See our guide to removing a viral video of your child.
• The video, or the comments under it, threaten you or reveal where you live or work: contact the police first, then report the post. If you are in danger now, call emergency services.

#What Platforms Will and Will Not Remove

Platforms do not remove every video someone objects to. Instagram's help page on privacy reports says it removes posts reported as unauthorised if this is required by relevant privacy laws in your country. Facebook's page on photos or videos that violate your privacy limits that route to content involving you, your child under 13 or someone you legally represent. Its privacy form asks for your country first, and for some countries it tells adults it cannot remove their content through that form. That is why the harassment route often matters as much as the privacy one.

#Step 1: Save the Evidence Before You Report

Once you report, the uploader may delete the post, change the caption or block you, and the record goes with it. Capture it first.

• The exact link to the video. Use the share button and "Copy link", not a link to the profile. Facebook's privacy form says it cannot process a report without a link to the specific content.
• The username, display name and profile link of the account that posted it, and of any accounts that reposted it.
• Screenshots that show the post, the caption, the date and, where possible, the address bar or link. Take them on the device you will report from.
• The times in the video where you appear, and what makes you identifiable: your face, your name tag, your shop sign, your voice.
• Screenshots of comments that insult, threaten or identify you, with the commenter's username.
• Report reference numbers, confirmation emails and every reply from the platform, as they arrive.

Keep it all in one backed-up folder. Our evidence checklist for harassment reports goes further.

#Step 2: Consider Asking the Uploader Directly

Many people who post a clip of a stranger never thought about the person in it. A calm request can get the video removed faster than any report. Instagram's own help page suggests contacting the person directly and asking them to take down private information before reporting.

Only do this if it feels safe. Skip it if the uploader is hostile, if the video was posted to humiliate you, or if anyone has threatened you. Never go in person, never threaten them, and never post about them publicly in return.

Hi, I am the person in the video you posted on [date] at [place]. I did not agree to being filmed or posted, and it is causing me problems. Please could you delete it? Thank you.

Send one written message from an account you control, and screenshot it. If there is no reply, or the reply is abusive, stop and move to the reports below.

#Step 3: File the Platform's Privacy Report

Every platform below accepts a privacy report from the person shown. Each one asks for the exact link, and each one decides on its own rules. Form wording can vary by app version, language and region.

YouTube's privacy guidelines explain the test most platforms apply in some form. You must be uniquely identifiable, meaning other people could recognise you, not just you. A fleeting image or a first name alone usually does not qualify. YouTube also weighs public interest, newsworthiness and consent, may give the uploader time to trim or blur the video first, and says it will not share your name or contact details with the person who posted it.

In your report, say who you are in the video, where you appear, why you are identifiable and what harm it is causing. Stick to facts and do not exaggerate.

#When the Video Is Harassment, Not Just Privacy

If the video, its caption or its comments insult you, mock your appearance, call for people to find you or pile on you, report it as harassment or bullying as well. Use the "Report" option on the post and pick the reason that matches what is happening. YouTube's guidelines say that maliciously posting a video of someone may count as harassment, and TikTok's rules say it does not allow harassment, bullying or doxing.

Report the video, the worst comments and, if the account exists only to target you, the account itself. One accurate report from you, and one from anyone else who has genuinely been affected, is enough. Do not ask friends to mass report it. Our guide to removing a TikTok video that harasses you covers that platform in more detail.

#Reporting to MCMC and the Police in Malaysia

You do not have to stop at the platform. The Online Safety Act 2025 has been in force since 1 January 2026, according to MCMC's page for the Act. Its First Schedule lists, as harmful content, "content that may cause harassment, distress, fear or alarm by way of threatening, abusive or insulting words or communication or act". Section 24 lets a user report content they believe is harmful to MCMC, whether or not they have already reported the same content to the platform.

The Act also says MCMC must dismiss a report it considers frivolous, vexatious or not made in good faith, or whose subject matter is trivial. So MCMC fits a video that harasses, threatens or abuses you, not a harmless clip you simply dislike. MCMC's make a complaint page lists its complaint portal at aduan.mcmc.gov.my. Attach your links, screenshots and any platform replies.

Make a police report at the nearest station if the video comes with threats, was recorded somewhere private, or is part of ongoing harassment. Bring your evidence folder. The police decide which laws apply. If you are thinking about a legal claim, such as for defamation where the caption makes false statements about you, speak to a lawyer. This section is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot tell you whether you have a case.

#What Not to Do

• Do not file a copyright claim for a video someone else recorded. Being in a video does not usually make you its copyright owner, and a false claim can be rejected or turned against you. If you filmed it yourself and someone reposted it, a copyright report is legitimate: see our guide to copyright takedowns on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
• Do not mass report, organise friends to report, or exaggerate what the video shows. Reports are judged on content, not volume.
• Do not try to find out who runs an anonymous account, post their details, or confront them. Leave identification to the police.
• Do not repost the video or reply in its comments. Both spread it further.

#If Your Report Is Rejected

A rejection usually means the reviewer did not see a rule being broken, not that your concern is invalid. Check the decision for a review or appeal option and use it once, with clearer detail: timestamps, why you are identifiable, and the specific harm. If the video has since gained harassing comments or your personal details, report those separately, because the situation has changed.

Be honest with yourself about the limit too. A lawful video of you in a public place may stay up even after every report. Our guide on what to do when a report is rejected sets out the remaining options.

#When a Case Review Makes Sense

You can do everything above yourself, for free, and those official routes are the ones that decide. SocialSafe by AwareXone, our recovery and digital identity service, can help when the video has spread across several accounts or platforms, when a business or job is affected, or when you are too worn down to write clear reports. We review the case first and tell you honestly if the video is likely to stay up. We use only the platforms' own report forms and lawful channels, never false claims, and the platform still makes the decision. Our content removal page explains what we handle, and our Trust Center sets out how we work and what we never ask for.

#Frequently Asked Questions