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Technology Facilitated Sexual Violence

Sexual violence doesn’t only happen in person. It happens through phones, apps, group chats, and AI tools too, and the harm is every bit as real. If someone shared your images, is threatening you, or won’t leave you alone online, you’re not overreacting and you don’t have to handle it alone.

Call 24/7: 908.233.7273What to do right now
The basics

What Is Technology Facilitated Sexual Violence?

Technology facilitated sexual violence (you might also hear TFSV, image based abuse, or online sexual abuse) is any sexual harm that someone carries out using technology. That can mean sharing a nude photo without permission, pressuring someone for pictures, blackmailing them with images, making fake sexual images with AI, or using a phone to track and control a partner.

It can come from a stranger, but very often it comes from someone the survivor knows: an ex, a partner, a classmate, a coworker.

If this happened to you, it is not your fault. Sending a photo to someone you trusted is not a crime. Sharing it without your consent is.

6 common forms

What It Can Look Like

Many survivors experience more than one of these at the same time.

01

Image based sexual abuse

Sharing, posting, or threatening to share intimate photos or videos without consent (sometimes called “revenge porn”).

02

Sextortion

Someone demands money, more images, or sexual acts and threatens to release photos if you don’t comply.

03

AI deepfakes

Fake nude or sexual images made from someone’s regular photos using AI or “nudify” apps.

04

Digital sexual harassment

Unwanted explicit messages, unsolicited nude photos, or sexual comments online.

05

Online grooming and coercion

Building trust over time to pressure someone, often a young person, into sexual contact or images.

06

Tracking and cyberstalking

Monitoring someone through location sharing, hidden trackers, spyware, or their accounts.

Try it

Could You Tell?

AI can now make pictures of people that look completely real. It’s the same technology people use to put someone’s real face into fake images. Take a look at this photo.

A woman smiling and holding a latte by a coffee shop window. This image was made by AI and the person does not exist.
Scanning image…
It’s AI.100% generated. 0 real people.This woman doesn’t exist. The whole picture was made in seconds from one typed sentence. No camera, no coffee shop, no person.

None of these people exist either

Every face below was made by AI for this page.

AI generated portrait of a bearded man in a navy shirt. Not a real person.AI MADE
AI generated portrait of a woman with glasses in a yellow cardigan. Not a real person.AI MADE
AI generated portrait of an older woman with silver hair. Not a real person.AI MADE
AI generated portrait of a man in a gray hoodie. Not a real person.AI MADE

Now picture someone doing this with a real person’s photo pulled from Instagram, a school website, or a group chat. That’s how deepfakes get made. You can’t always spot a fake just by looking, and if someone made fake images of you, it’s still abuse, it’s illegal in New Jersey, and it is never your fault.

All images in this section were created with AI for education. No real person is shown.

By the numbers

How Common Is It?

More common than most people think, and most of it never gets reported.

41%

of Americans have been harassed online.

Pew Research Center, 2021
33%

of women under 35 say they’ve been sexually harassed online.

Pew Research Center, 2021
51%

of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults faced severe online abuse, compared with 23% of straight adults.

Pew Research Center, 2021
50,000+

sextortion reports came in to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2025, up from over 36,000 the year before.

NCMEC, 2026
137

sextortion reports every single day, on average, in 2025.

NCMEC, 2026
<1%

of tech facilitated sexual abuse cases among kids 12 to 17 in 21 countries were ever reported to police or support services.

UNICEF, September 2026

Survivors often describe anxiety, fear, shame, trouble sleeping, and pulling back from school, work, or friends. Some stop using their phones or social media altogether. What happens online follows people offline, and it deserves real care and support.

Live feed

In the News

Recent stories on online sexual abuse, deepfakes, and new laws. Tap a story to read it on the original site.

Sep 28, 2026 · WDAMLouisiana man charged with making AI sexual images of a coworkerPolice say he made fake nude images and video of a woman he worked with, then showed them to her. She saved evidence on her phone and reported it, and he now faces a felony charge under the state’s deepfake law.Read the story →Sep 8, 2026 · U.S. Department of JusticeFirst sentencing under the TAKE IT DOWN Act: 15 years in prisonAn Ohio man who cyberstalked former partners and spread real and AI made sexual images of them was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say it is the first conviction in the country under the new law.Read the story →Sep 4, 2026 · FOX 9 MinneapolisJudge keeps Minnesota’s ban on AI “nudify” tools in placeMinnesota’s new law lets people sue companies whose tools make fake nude images of them without consent. A federal judge turned down xAI’s request to put it on hold while the case plays out.Read the story →Sep 4, 2026 · JURISTUNICEF: 20 million kids faced tech facilitated sexual abuse in one yearNearly 1 in 5 internet using kids ages 12 to 17 across 21 countries were affected, and fewer than 1% of cases were ever reported.Read the story →Aug 11, 2026 · MalwarebytesFBI warns people are hacking accounts to steal intimate imagesCriminals are using phishing, fake customer service messages, and password guessing to get into accounts, then posting or selling private photos.Read the story →May 22, 2026 · NBC New YorkHasbrouck Heights man charged over AI generated sexual imagesOne of the first New Jersey arrests tied to the new federal law against sharing sexual deepfakes.Read the story →May 2026 · Federal Trade CommissionThe FTC starts enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN ActWebsites and apps now have 48 hours to remove nonconsensual intimate images once a survivor asks.Read the story →May 14, 2026 · MalwarebytesDeepfake sextortion pushes schools to pull student photos offlineScammers are scraping school website photos, turning them into fake sexual images with AI, and demanding payment.Read the story →
Your safety checklist

If This Is Happening to You

Take a breath. You have options, and you can go at your own pace. Check things off as you go. Nothing you tick here is saved or sent anywhere.

6 steps to take back control0 of 6 done
The law is catching up

Your Rights in New Jersey

Here’s how the rules have changed, and what they mean for you.

New Jersey criminal lawN.J.S.A. 2C:14-9

Recording someone’s intimate images without consent, or sharing them without consent, is a third degree crime.

New Jersey civil lawN.J.S.A. 2A:58D-1

Survivors can bring a civil case for damages against the person who shared their images.

April 2, 2025New Jersey outlaws harmful deepfakes

Creating or sharing deceptive AI deepfakes for unlawful purposes became a crime, with up to 5 years in prison, fines up to $30,000, and a right to sue. It was pushed forward in part by Francesca Mani, a Westfield High School student right here in Union County who was targeted with AI generated images by a classmate.

May 19, 2025The federal TAKE IT DOWN Act becomes law

Sharing nonconsensual intimate images, including AI made ones, became a federal crime, and websites were given one year to set up a way for survivors to request removal.

May 19, 202648 hour takedowns are now enforced

Websites and apps must remove these images within 48 hours of a valid request. If a platform ignores yours, you can file a complaint at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

This is general information, not legal advice. Our advocates can walk you through your options, including reporting to police, and support you whatever you decide. Learn more on our Legal Rights and Options page.

For the grown ups

For Parents, Educators, and Friends

How you react in the first few minutes matters a lot. Stay calm, thank them for telling you, and make it clear they’re not in trouble. Shame is exactly what people who exploit kids and teens count on to keep them quiet.

If the images involve someone under 18, do not save, forward, or screenshot the images themselves, even to report them. Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST, and use Take It Down to help get the images removed.

For young people, it helps to talk about this before anything happens. Let them know they can always come to you, no matter what they sent or who they sent it to.

Tools that help

Trusted Resources

StopNCII.orgBlocks your intimate images from spreading on major platforms. For adults 18 and over.
Take It DownFree removal help for images taken before you turned 18. Run by NCMEC.
NCMEC CyberTiplineReport child sexual exploitation online, or call 1-800-THE-LOST.
FTC Take It Down complaintsReport a website or app that won’t remove your images within 48 hours.
CCRI Crisis HelplineSupport for image based abuse survivors: 844-878-2274.
NNEDV Safety NetStep by step guides for spyware, location tracking, and account safety.

Further reading: Rutgers Center for Research on Ending Violence · RAINN · Pew Research Center · NCMEC 2025 sextortion data

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

Karolina’s Place offers free, confidential support for survivors of sexual violence in Union County, including what happens online. Call anytime, day or night.

24/7 Hotline: 908.233.7273Not sure where to start?
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