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Google Partners with StopNCII.org to Combat Non-Consensual Imagery

Google Partners with StopNCII.org to Combat Non-Consensual Imagery
source: gettyimages
September 18, 2025

Google has announced its partnership with StopNCII.org to help combat the spread of non-consensual intimate images (NCII) across the web. Unlike some of its industry peers, Google has been initially slower to adopt StopNCII’s hashing technology, but recent efforts indicate a shift toward more proactive measures.

What is StopNCII and How Does It Work?

StopNCII.org uses algorithmically-generated hashes—unique identifiers for images and videos—that enable online services to detect and block non-consensual content without sharing or storing the actual media. They employ PDQ for images and MD5 for videos, allowing platforms to recognize flagged material securely.

Google's New Initiative

Over the upcoming months, Google plans to integrate StopNCII's hashes into its search results to identify and remove non-consensual images proactively. This initiative aims to reduce the burden on victims, who traditionally had to manually flag content to request their removal.

Industry Context and Responses

Leading platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Bumble signed on with StopNCII as early as 2022. Microsoft integrated similar technology into Bing last September. Google's approach has been somewhat slower, but the company's recent blog post acknowledges the importance of accelerating efforts to protect survivors.

Challenges and Future Directions

While tools exist for victims to request content removal—such as flagging images or sharing personal contact details—automating this process without requiring victims to generate hashes from their own devices remains a challenge. Advocates hope Google will further develop solutions to identify and remove non-consensual content seamlessly, especially AI-generated or manipulated media.

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GraphQL · 153 ms 
query Q($id: Int!, $domain: Int!, $srcId: Int!, $hasSrc: Boolean!, $hasSelf: Boolean!) {
  self: qa_ai(where: {id: {_eq: $id}}, limit: 1) @include(if: $hasSelf) { id title text date }
  linksarticle: qa_ai(where: {domain: {_eq: $domain}, id: {_neq: $id}}, order_by: {id: desc}, limit: 8) { id title }
  linksbottom: qa_ai(where: {domain: {_neq: $domain}, id: {_lt: $id}}, order_by: {id: desc}, limit: 3) { id title domain }
  source: qa_ai(where: {id: {_eq: $srcId}}, limit: 1) @include(if: $hasSrc) { id title }
}
{
  "id": 6643940,
  "domain": 7,
  "srcId": 0,
  "hasSrc": false,
  "hasSelf": true
}