Cloudflare acts as a protective layer (a proxy) between a website’s server and the rest of the internet. This is a standard industry practice to prevent cyberattacks and improve speed. However, if you need to contact the actual hosting provider to request a content takedown, Cloudflare’s NCSEI reporting tool is the bridge you need.
Why use the Cloudflare NCSEI Reporting Tool?
When you submit a report through the Cloudflare NCSEI Abuse Form, Cloudflare doesn’t just notify the website owner. In many cases, their automated system will:
- Notify the Provider: Send a report directly to the hosting company.
- Empower the Reporter: Cloudflare will provide you with the identity and abuse contact information of the hosting provider, allowing you to follow up with the host directly, or contact their upstream providers.
- Identify the origin IP: Information concerning origin IPs will not be available to users, but will be included in the report to the hosting provider.
- Establish a Paper Trail: If additional escalation is necessary, a Cloudflare abuse report serves as a formal, time-stamped record of notification. Having a Report ID is vital if you later need to involve law enforcement or legal counsel, as it provides documented proof that the hosting provider was made aware of the content.
How to Submit a Report
- Gather Evidence: Have the specific URLs of the infringing content ready. Screenshots are helpful for your records, but the direct links are required for the form. Note that the Cloudflare abuse reporting form can handle up to 250 URLs at a time.
- Access the Form: Navigate to abuse.cloudflare.com/ncsei.
- Provide Contact Details: At the very least, include a working email address so that Cloudflare may provide you with the details of the web host.
- Check Email: Once submitted, Cloudflare will send two emails: one confirming successful report submission, and after some time, a second email containing the web host’s contact information.
Cloudflare’s response email to a successful NCSEI abuse report. The Report ID is often helpful information to include when contacting a website’s hosting provider.
The Importance of the Report ID
Once you have successfully unmasked the true host using Cloudflare’s report, your next task is to initiate contact with the web host’s abuse and/or legal department.
When you send your initial email to the hosting provider, I recommend including the Cloudflare Report ID in the subject line.
Including this ID is highly beneficial because:
- Verification: It proves to the host that the issue has already been logged by a major security entity.
- Speed: It allows the host’s abuse team to cross-reference the report Cloudflare already sent them, often speeding up the takedown process.
- Clarity: It keeps all communications organized under a single reference number.
For a deeper dive into finding additional contact points, check out our article Website Not Responding? How to Contact a Web Host.
Conclusion
Cloudflare’s role in the internet ecosystem is to provide a safer and faster web for everyone. While their proxy service a layer of security for many websites, Cloudflare’s dedicated abuse channels ensure that serious issues like NCSEI are handled with the transparency needed to protect individuals.
Please note that it may take several Cloudflare reports and correspondence with a hosting provider before a website takes action on your removal request.
This post was last updated December 22, 2025.
