How to remove Google search results about you

Judith Thompson

To remove unwanted internet search results, you can make an application to Google (or to other search engines), to have the links removed. This is called the right to be forgotten

There can be many different reasons why you might want search results removed, and a few examples are:

  • you committed a crime a long time ago, but newspaper articles about your case are still available online;
  • your partner committed a crime, and your name appears in articles about them;
  • you were made bankrupt and you are trying to set up a new business;
  • you were arrested but never tried, and details of your arrest remain online;
  • an article was published about you when you were a minor and you want the information removed;
  • you have a high public profile and are embarrassed by old information about you; or
  • information about you online is very outdated. 

Applications need to be made in a specific form and there is usually a limited amount of space available to present your case. You can make the application to the search engine yourself, or you can seek expert assistance.

If your application is successful, when you search your name, the unwanted results will no longer appear. 

If your application is unsuccessful, you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office. They will look at your original application and the reasons that it failed, and if they think the search engine made the wrong decision, they can tell them to remove the search results. Appeals to the Information Commissioner's Office are on slightly different grounds, and can be more detailed than the original application to the search engine. 

At Samuels Solicitors, we have assisted clients with applications to Google and other search engines for several years. We always carry out this work on a fixed-fee basis, so that there are no nasty surprises with bills. The level of the fee depends on the number of search results you want to have removed, but we will always discuss and agree this with you in advance. We also undertake appeals to the Information Commissioner's Office, again on a fixed-fee basis. 

If you are worried about information which is available about you online, contact us today for a free, no obligation discssion, about how we can help you. 

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