AWDTSG removal: how to remove a post about you, for free
Last checked October 2026 · Shield Date does not perform removals — we explain how they work
- Is your own photo in the post? File a copyright complaint on Facebook’s copyright form, not the report button. It is the route that gets posts removed.
- You need the exact link to the post and a screenshot. Men can’t see inside the groups, so someone who can has to get them for you. A private AWDTSG search gets you both.
- Expect Meta to ask whether the photo is yours. Reply that you took it and attach photo ID.
- No photo of yours in it? Report only the detail that breaks a rule, like your phone number or a threat. Opinions stay up.
You have to be the owner of the photo
A copyright complaint rests on you owning the copyright, and you own a photograph because you took it. That includes photos you set up yourself — if you propped your phone on something, or used a tripod and the camera timer, you controlled the angle, framing and moment, so you are the author of the work.
If someone else pressed the shutter, the copyright is theirs unless they have signed the rights over to you.
Why copyright and not a harassment report
Almost everyone starts by reporting the post as bullying or false information. Those reports are reviewed against Facebook's Community Standards, and a post saying you are a bad date does not break them. It gets rejected in minutes.
A copyright complaint is different. It goes to a separate team under a legal obligation, and it does not ask whether the post is fair — only whether the image is yours. That is why it works when nothing else does.
One more reason it matters: a removal puts a copyright strike on the account that posted it. A single strike usually does nothing. Several strikes can suspend that account for 90 days or remove it entirely.
AWDTSG removal in every state and city
AWDTSG removal (Are We Dating The Same Guy removal) works the same way nationwide. Every “Are We Dating The Same Guy” group is a Facebook group, whether it covers New York, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle or a smaller city, so the same free copyright form and the same steps apply in all 50 states.
- Official groups and copycats alike. A copycat group using the AWDTSG name is still a Facebook group.
- Paused groups too. A post in a paused group can still be read, and can still be removed.
- One complaint per post. If the same post was shared to a second city’s group, each copy needs its own.
Not sure which group covers you? AWDTSG groups by city lists every official US group.
How to get removed from AWDTSG
You can’t be removed from AWDTSG as a whole: there’s no list to be taken off. What you can do is delete each AWDTSG post about you, one at a time, with the steps below.
What you need before you start
- The exact URL of the post. Men cannot see inside these groups, so you will need someone who can — or a copy of the post from a search you have already had done. How to check AWDTSG without joining covers the options.
- A screenshot of the post showing your photo in it, the group name, and the text.
- The original photo file from your own phone, camera, or wherever else you have it stored.
- Photo ID — you probably will not need it, but have it ready. See step 6.
How to remove an AWDTSG post, step by step
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Publish your original photo somewhere public first
The form asks where your original work can be seen. You need a public link to point at, so post the same photo somewhere public — your own Facebook profile, Instagram, Flickr, anywhere — with the visibility set to Public, then copy that post's link.
Do this before you open the form. It is the step most people miss, and without it the complaint is much weaker.
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Open Facebook's copyright form
facebook.com/help/contact/copyrightform
You do not need a Facebook account to file it, and you do not need to be able to see the group. Use this form rather than the “Report post” button — the in-app button sends it to general moderation, not the copyright team.
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Fill in the two links
Copy of the original work: the public link from step 1.
Location of the infringing content: the URL of the post in the AWDTSG group.
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Describe the work and the infringement
Keep it factual. Do not describe the dispute, what the post says about you, or how you feel about it — the copyright team cannot act on any of that, and it dilutes the filing.
The copyrighted work is an original photograph that I personally created. I took the photograph myself and I am the photographer, author, and copyright owner. The unauthorised copy appears in the Facebook group [group name]. The post was submitted by an "Anonymous member" and contains the text: [quote the post]. Because Facebook identifies the poster only as an "Anonymous member", I cannot provide their name. The attached screenshot shows the infringing post and my photograph, and should allow the post to be located. I did not authorise the uploader, the group, or any third party to copy, reproduce, publish or publicly display my photograph. I request that Meta expeditiously remove or disable access to the unauthorised copy pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
If your photo was taken on a tripod with a timer rather than held at arm's length, say that instead — it makes authorship even clearer. Describe how you actually took it.
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Reply to the confirmation email with your evidence
You will get an automatic confirmation. Reply to it and attach the screenshot of the infringing post, the original photo from your device, and both links again. Men who have done this report that the reply is what moves it along.
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Expect one pushback, and know the answer
Meta very often replies that it is “not clear to us that you are the rights owner”. This is routine. It is not a rejection. Reply with this:
I am the copyright owner of the photograph. I am not submitting this report on behalf of another person, lawyer, agent or company. I personally took the photograph myself. It is an original selfie that I created, and I am therefore the original photographer and copyright owner. I originally uploaded it to a dating application. A third party screenshotted it from my profile and reposted it on Facebook without my permission. I am submitting this report in my own capacity as the rights owner. I have attached the original photograph as it exists on my device, a screenshot of the Facebook post showing it in use, and government-issued identification to verify both my identity and my authorship.
Attaching photo ID at this point is what resolved it for the men who have posted about doing this.
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If you hear nothing, resubmit
Meta appears to work newest-first rather than in order, so an old filing can sit untouched while a new one gets answered. If there has been no response after a few hours, submit it again rather than waiting.
Reported timelines run from a few hours to about 48 hours from the first filing.
What if the photo option does not work?
These routes are weaker, but they are what is left:
| What's in the post | Report as | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Your phone number, address, workplace or employer | Privacy violation | Good — a clear rule |
| Threats, sexual content, sustained targeting | Harassment or bullying | Reasonable if explicit |
| Unflattering opinions about you as a date | No route exists | Facebook will not remove opinions |
| Specific false factual claims — a crime, a disease | Defamation, via a lawyer | Slow and costly, but real |
Report the individual post rather than the group, and point at the one specific detail that breaks the rule. Narrow reports succeed far more often than long ones.
What not to do
- Don't threaten legal action in writing before speaking to a lawyer.
- Be hesitant paying anyone who guarantees a removal. Facebook decides, not them.
Common questions about AWDTSG removal
No. There is no list to be taken off. Every Are We Dating The Same Guy group is a separate Facebook group, so each post is removed on its own, and a copy shared to another group needs its own complaint.
Not to file. Facebook’s copyright form works without an account and without membership. You still need the exact link and a screenshot of the post from someone who can see it.
Men who have done it report anywhere from a few hours to about two days from the first filing. If you hear nothing after a few hours, resubmit rather than waiting.
They may. With a copyright complaint, Facebook can pass your name and contact details to the person who posted, so file it knowing that. A normal report for breaking the rules does not tell the poster who sent it.
Yes. Every group, whatever the city, is a Facebook group, so the same copyright form and the same steps apply. AWDTSG groups by city shows which group covers your area.
You can, but they file the same free form that is on this page. No one can guarantee a removal, because Facebook makes the decision.
No photo of yours in the post? Copyright won't apply, but a report still can if the post breaks a specific rule. How to report an AWDTSG post.
Find out if you are posted on AWDTSG
If you do not have someone who can look for you, that is what we do: a person searches the Tea App and the AWDTSG group covering your region by hand and sends you screenshots, the links, and proof of where we looked. Answered in hours, not days.
Find out where you're posted →This guide is free, and always will be. If it helped you get a post taken down, you can say thanks with whatever feels right. No obligation.
Say thanks →This guide explains publicly available platform processes and is not legal advice. Shield Date does not contact posters, negotiate with group moderators, or attempt removals on anyone's behalf — and no one can guarantee a removal, because the platform makes that decision.