How to find your leaks

Start with your username

Start by searching your username: leaks are usually labeled with the name you work under. Search Google, Bing and Yandex: each returns different results.

• Your username in quotes, for exact matches.
• Variations: with and without underscores or dots, and any spelling in another alphabet.
• Your username plus the name of the platform you work on.
• Old usernames and any name your fans know you by.

Check the Images and Videos tabs too: they sometimes show pages the main results miss. In Telegram, type your username into the global search: it shows public channels and groups.

Note the searches that found something, to repeat them next week.

Reverse image search

Image search finds copies where your username isn’t mentioned. Upload your photo to Google Lens, Bing Visual Search, Yandex Images or TinEye.

• Use a photo without nudity: your avatar, a cover, a shot from a public profile.
• Google Lens, Bing and Yandex show similar images and the sites where they appear.
• TinEye finds copies of the same image, even cropped or edited, and doesn’t add your photo to its index.
• Each tool finds different things. Try at least two.

For a video, upload a frame without nudity, such as the opening shot or the thumbnail.

Face search: what to know

Some services search for a similar face, not the same image, so they can find photos with no username and none of your original shots. Whether to use them is your call.

• Search only for yourself. Don’t check anyone else’s face without their consent.
• Use a clear, front-facing photo without nudity.
• Read what the service does with your photo and how long it keeps it.
• Face matches can be wrong. Mark them in your list as unconfirmed.

Check links found this way like any others: by the preview, without downloading.

How to search without rewatching or downloading

You need the link, not the content. Don’t play videos or scroll through galleries: recognize yourself from the preview and note the address.

• Don’t download anything: files on these sites can carry malware.
• Search in a private window and stay signed out of your accounts.
• Don’t enter your details on these sites or allow notifications.
• Take breaks. If it gets heavy, ask someone you trust to help.

How to keep a list of links

Log every find in a spreadsheet: you will use it to report and to check what came down.

• The full page address, not the home page.
• The date and time you found it.
• A screenshot of the page, with the image covered or blurred.
• What is there: photos, video, your username, personal details.
• Where you reported it, when, and what they replied.

It is easier to keep the spreadsheet in the cloud: you can show it to whoever helps you with the reports.

Re-uploads

Removed leaks often come back, usually under the same username and previews. Repeat the same username and image searches once a week.

Set up a Google Alert for your username to get an email when new pages mention it. Add new finds to the same list.

If a removed link opens again, mark it in your list and report it again.