How to Get Images Removed From the Internet

There are many reasons why someone may wish to have pictures, images and videos deleted from the internet. The most common, is that the pictures or videos are embarrassing, and they are causing problems in the day to day life of the person depicted. One particular issue, is where people have appeared in pornographic images or videos some years previously, and do not wish their children to discover the material.

How to Remove Harmful Online Content

In some instances, blocking unwanted images from search engine results using the Right to Be Forgotten procedure, may be sufficient. This is a quick and relatively inexpensive option, but the drawback is that it only blocks results, without deleting the unwanted images from underlying websites. 

The better option, if you want to remove the content from websites entirely, is more involved and can take longer to resolve. It means writing to website operators, but if they are prepared to take action, the results are very effective. Each case is different, but typical examples of how website operators can be approached are on the basis that:

• the images were taken and/or published online without the consent of the person depicted, also known as image based abuse, or revenge pornography;
• the person depicted in the images was under 18 at the time the images were created, or was unable to give consent to the images being taken for another reason, for example if they were suffering from a mental health condition at the time;
• the website publishing the images is infringing the copyright of the original owner of the image, for example by stealing them from platforms such as OnlyFans;
• the continued publication of the images is a breach of the right to privacy of the person depicted; or
• publication of the images is a breach of the site's own moderation policies and/or terms of use, which typically applies to social media platforms including X, Facebook and TikTok.

Once the site owner has been contacted, the decision as to whether to remove the content is discretionary. In some cases the owners of websites will behave responsibly, and promptly remove any infringing material from their site. However, in some cases the process can be more difficult and convoluted.

Website Owners Ignore Removal Requests? 

We have a great deal of experience in addressing these complex issues and compelling sites to remove content, but in some cases the websites simply won't respond, sometimes because they are no longer being maintained. 

In these cases, we would escalate your complaint, firstly to the registrar of the site (such as GoDaddy or NameCheap). If the matter still remains unresolved at that stage, a complaint can be made to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

ICANN will consider complaints made about a registrar's customer service handling and can compel them to take action against the operators of the website, in certain circumstances. 

Get Legal Help to Remove Unwanted Images

At Samuels Solicitors LLP, we have supported many clients and helped them to remove highly sensitive material from internet. This work involves identifying and cataloguing the location of the images online, engaging with publishers and website administrators of the sites where the images appear, identifying and writing to domain registrars and domain owners and website hosting providers, as well as securing the removal of images from search engine results, including Google images, once the material has been deleted from underlying websites.

If you are concerned about and want to remove embarrassing, harmful or illegal images of you appearing online, our experienced and sympathetic team will provide you with confidential, strategic, and effective guidance specific to your situation.  

Contact us today to speak to one of our lawyers about how we can help.