Collecting evidence

It can be very distressing and upsetting when another person takes, creates or shares intimate images of you without your consent, or when they make threats to do so. Your first instinct might be to get the images deleted or removed. But before you do that, and as soon as possible, it’s important to record the content that was posted, when, where and by whom. Evidence, which can include photos, videos, posts or comments, will be important if you want to seek advice from a lawyer, request content removal on a digital platform or report image-based abuse to the Office of the Australian eSafety Commissioner or to the police.

When capturing or recording evidence, consider keeping a single document log (e.g., a Word document) so that you don’t have to work across multiple files during a stressful time. It’s important to store this evidence (i.e., the document log) in a password-protected folder, and to have backups of the log in a separate password-protected folder. In your log, try to capture any of the following:

  • A screen capture/screenshot or photo of the image or post. If there’s more than one image or post, take individual screenshots or photos of each image or post (see here for instructions on taking a screenshot);

  • The URL (e.g., https://www…) of where the image or threat was posted (see here for instructions on how to find the URL);

  • The name of the website where the image and/or threats were posted;

  • Who posted the image or threatened to post the image (e.g., their real name and/or username) and any other information about the person;

  • The date and time when the image was shared or the threats were made;

  • The date and time when you recorded the evidence;

  • Any statements by the person who took or shared the intimate image, or made threats to do so (e.g., social media posts sharing the image or a URL to the image; text messages containing a threat to share the image; or any related harassment or abuse);

  • Any statements to you about the image-based abuse from someone other than the alleged perpetrator (e.g., emails, text messages or phone calls from a friend telling you that an image had been shared).

You can also record other details about the abuse, such as how long the abuse has been occurring, how it’s impacting on you or others, and what actions you have previously taken.

The Australian eSafety Commissioner's website provides information about collecting evidence, including how to take screenshots on a Mac, PC and Apple or Android phone or other devices.

As there are laws against child pornography or child abuse material in Australia, which have serious consequences, make sure that you don’t download, store or save any images of a person under the age of 18. This includes images of yourself and others.