How to remove your post from AWDTSG group, for free

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.

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.
• 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.

The process

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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:

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