Have you found personal information, sensitive material or sexual content involving you in Google Search results? Google offers a dedicated personal-content removal process. It is separate from European right-to-be-forgotten delisting, which concerns privacy rights under European law. This guide explains the official options, how to submit a request and what removing a search result can achieve. It does not replace advice on your individual legal situation.
What does this process cover?
Are your contact details being shared to threaten or harass you? Our guide to cyberbullying and removing personal information explains how to preserve evidence, find support and contact the websites involved.
Google's official personal-content removal guidance describes when it may remove results under its personal-content policies. In practice:
- You can report a problem and follow the steps to the personal-content removal form.
- You or your representative can submit a request concerning content about you.
- Google reviews the request and may remove qualifying content from search results. Its relevant personal-content policies apply globally, as explained in the official guidance.
Removing a search result does not remove the original page. Contacting the website that publishes the information is a separate step and is often necessary to address the source. For a broader view covering the public web, data brokers, breaches and search engines, read our digital footprint and removal guide.
Which types of content can you report?
The main help page links to detailed policies for different situations, including:
- Content involving people under 18, with separate guidance for non-explicit images of minors and child sexual abuse material. Google states that anyone can report certain sexual content involving minors.
- Personally identifying information and doxxing, including information exposed to enable harassment or harm.
- Personal sexual content, with dedicated resources for intimate images shared without consent.
Eligibility depends on the relevant policy. Always check the current criteria in Google's official guidance.
How to submit a request
- Read the official help page and identify the policy that fits your situation.
- Follow the reporting process to the personal-content removal form.
- You can also use Google's step-by-step removal troubleshooter to find the appropriate route.
Google assesses the content against its policies. Submitting a request does not guarantee removal.
The website has removed the information, but Google still shows it
When a website owner has already removed the information, search results usually catch up as Google updates its index. In eligible cases, the Refresh Outdated Content tool lets you request an earlier update.
This tool is for content that has already disappeared or changed at its source. It is not a way to remove information that remains on the original page.
To identify the right URL, handle an image and troubleshoot a denial, follow our guide to deleted content still appearing on Google.
Personal contact details in search results
For some situations involving home addresses, email addresses or phone numbers, Google provides Results about you and related options to find and request removal of personal contact information.
See its dedicated guidance: Find and remove personal contact information in Google Search results.
Other routes: legal grounds, exploitative websites and the original source
- Copyright, trademarks and other legal grounds: use Google's separate legal removal process.
- Websites with exploitative removal practices: Google has specific guidance on content about you on sites with exploitative removal practices.
- Content outside Google Search: read Google's guidance on removing content outside Google Search to understand how to contact the source.
How this relates to GDPR erasure and European delisting
The European right to erasure under GDPR Article 17 and delisting results associated with your name are legal routes in their own right. Their forms and eligibility criteria may differ from Google's personal-content policies.
You may need to take several steps: contact the publisher or hosting provider, submit a personal-content or European delisting request to the search engine, and, where appropriate, complain to a supervisory authority. In France, that authority is the CNIL. Our guide to personal-data rights explains the wider framework.
Where does Data Knight fit?
Data Knight helps you map your digital footprint across the public web, data brokers and known breaches through a free scan. You can then choose to send and track eligible erasure requests using our method.
Google's personal-content and delisting forms remain separate steps you can take alongside those requests. Sensitive situations involving intimate images, defamation or legal proceedings may also call for specialist support.
In short: Google's official personal-content process covers specific types of Google Search results. It is one of several available routes. To decide where to act, start your free scan, read our digital footprint guide, then choose which traces to remove from eligible brokers and public websites.
See also: European right-to-be-forgotten delisting · Remove your name from Google · Remove data from people-search sites · GDPR Article 17: erasure requests
