Where to report AI abuse depends on what happened, where it happened, and who has authority to act. Start with the platform or service involved; use a specialist regulator or legal route only when the incident falls within its scope. There is no single reporting service established for every kind of AI-related harm.
Where do I report AI abuse?
Choose the route that matches the problem. A platform report asks the service to address content or conduct on its own service. A regulator complaint can address a suspected violation within that regulator’s authority. A provider incident report may be required under a specific legal duty. These routes are not interchangeable, and one submission does not necessarily notify the others.
| Route | Geography and scope | Who can use it or must act | What it can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform or service reporting process | The service where the content or behavior appeared; the applicable rules depend on that service and location. | A person affected by or reporting the content can use the service’s process. The cited sources do not establish a universal process or eligibility checklist. | Request that the service review content or conduct. A particular result or response time is not established generally. |
| Take It Down Act removal request | United States; covered digital platforms and nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated images. | A person can request removal through a covered platform. The FTC says covered platforms must provide a clear process and act on qualifying requests. | Under the FTC statement of May 19, 2026, removal of the reported image and known identical copies within 48 hours of the request. The FTC says people can report a covered platform’s failure to comply. |
| European Commission AI Act Whistleblower Tool | European Union; certain providers and systems within the AI Office’s enforcement remit. | People professionally connected to the specified providers or systems. The Commission says reports may be anonymous, in any EU language, and supported by documents; follow-up is available through a secure inbox. | Submit information about suspected infringements within that remit. The tool is not described as a route for every AI incident or every person. |
| European Commission AI Act Complaint Tool | European Union; alleged infringements by providers within the AI Office’s enforcement powers. | Eligibility and subject matter depend on the Commission tool’s remit; the cited Commission description does not state a universal entitlement for every complainant. | Submit a complaint for consideration within the AI Office’s powers; a particular outcome is not guaranteed. |
| AI Act serious-incident reporting by providers | European Union; distinct duties apply to specified high-risk AI system providers and providers of general-purpose AI models with systemic risk. | The applicable provider—not every organization that uses AI—must determine whether the relevant duty applies and report to the specified recipient. | Regulatory incident reporting and follow-up under the applicable provision; this is not a general public content-removal channel. |
If there is a credible threat or immediate danger, prioritize personal safety and contact the appropriate emergency or local safety service. The routes described here do not provide country-specific emergency contact details.
What should I save before I report it?
Make a concise, factual record while avoiding unnecessary exposure of sensitive material. A useful report will usually identify what happened, approximately when and where it happened, the service or system involved if known, and the relevant account or content identifiers. Say how AI may be involved if you know; do not present a guess about AI authorship as a fact.
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- Record the page or post URL, account name or identifier, and date and time, including the time zone if relevant.
- Keep the original file when possible and capture screenshots that preserve surrounding context. Avoid editing or overwriting the only copy.
- Write down when and how you submitted the report, and keep any case or reference number and replies.
- Preserve only what is safe and lawful to retain or share. Do not redistribute intimate or otherwise harmful material just to document it.
These are practical documentation suggestions, not a universal evidence checklist prescribed by the cited sources. NIST discusses authentication and provenance methods, but those methods do not guarantee that a file is authentic or establish a universal way to prove that content was generated by AI.
How do I report an AI-generated intimate image shared without consent?
For a covered platform in the United States
Use the platform’s removal-request process and identify the image and its location as clearly as you safely can. The Federal Trade Commission says the Take It Down Act covers nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated images, on covered platforms. In its May 19, 2026 statement, the FTC said a covered platform must remove the reported image and any known identical copies within 48 hours after a request. This is a specific rule for covered intimate-image situations, not a general 48-hour takedown deadline for other AI-related content.
If a covered platform does not comply, the FTC says a person can report that failure to the Commission. A report about platform noncompliance is distinct from the initial request to remove the image.
Outside that U.S. scope
The 48-hour rule described above should not be assumed to apply outside its stated U.S. scope, to services that are not covered platforms, or to other kinds of content. Report the material through the service involved and seek an appropriate local support or legal route for the jurisdiction and circumstances. The sources cited here do not establish a country-by-country directory or a universal remedy for nonconsensual intimate imagery.
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Can I report an AI Act violation anonymously?
The European Commission says its AI Act Whistleblower Tool permits anonymous reports, submissions in any EU language, supporting documents, and follow-up through a secure inbox. The Commission describes it for people professionally connected to providers of general-purpose AI models or AI systems within the AI Office’s enforcement remit. The anonymity statement applies to this specified tool; it is not a promise about other complaint channels or about what happens after a report is submitted.
The Commission also identifies a separate AI Act Complaint Tool for alleged infringements by providers within the AI Office’s enforcement powers. Check that the provider and alleged conduct fall within the relevant tool’s remit before relying on it.
When must an AI provider report a serious incident in the EU?
High-risk AI systems
Article 73 concerns providers of high-risk AI systems placed on the Union market. The AI Act Service Desk’s consolidated text dated July 27, 2026 says such providers must report serious incidents to the market surveillance authority of the Member State where the incident occurred. It specifies different reporting time limits according to incident type and requires investigation and risk assessment after reporting. Because the deadlines depend on the incident category and the applicable legal text, a provider should consult the operative provision and competent authority rather than infer a deadline from this summary.
General-purpose AI models with systemic risk
The European Commission’s FAQ describes a distinct duty for providers of general-purpose AI models with systemic risk: they must track, document, and report relevant serious-incident information without undue delay to the AI Office and, as appropriate, national competent authorities. This is not the same duty as Article 73’s requirement for providers of high-risk AI systems, and neither rule should be generalized to organizations that merely use AI.
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What does an organization need to do when an AI system causes harm?
Set up an incident process before an incident occurs. NIST’s Generative AI Profile recommends clear responsibilities and documented procedures for communicating incidents and performance to relevant AI actors and affected downstream stakeholders. A practical process can assign:
- An intake owner to record reports, preserve relevant records, and acknowledge receipt.
- Escalation contacts for safety, security, privacy, legal, and operational review as appropriate to the organization.
- Decision-makers responsible for assessing risk, containment, investigation, and whether an external reporting duty applies.
- People responsible for communicating with affected stakeholders and downstream users.
- A method for documenting decisions, actions, and follow-up.
These are organizational practices, not a claim that NIST guidance is itself binding law. If the organization is a provider that may be subject to an EU AI Act duty, it should classify the system and incident against the relevant provision and obtain qualified legal advice. NIST describes AI RMF 1.0 as being revised, so confirm the current edition before treating a particular version as current.
How can I tell whether an image or message was made by AI?
There is no basis here for treating a detector’s result as conclusive proof of authorship. NIST surveys approaches such as authentication, provenance, labeling, and detection, but does not establish that any one detector can reliably prove that a particular image or message is synthetic. Preserve the original and its context where appropriate, and report the content based on the harm or policy concern even if its origin is uncertain. A platform or authority can assess the issue under its own process; do not delay a safety-focused report solely to obtain a detector result.
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