Key takeaways
- In the EU and the UK, you can ask search engines to stop showing some results for searches of your name.
- Delisting removes the search result, not the page, which stays online.
- Google weighs your privacy against the public's interest, such as your role in public life and how old the information is.
- A clear request explains each link on its own: what it shows, why it is out of date or wrong, and how it affects you.
- If Google says no, you can complain to your national data protection authority, or speak to a lawyer.
Some search results follow you long after they stop being true or fair. An old story, a settled dispute, or a post from years ago can still be the first thing people see when they search your name.
If you live in the EU or the UK, the law gives you a way to ask search engines to stop showing some of these results. This guide explains what the right to be forgotten is, who can use it, what Google weighs up, and how to make a request that is clear and complete.
What the right to be forgotten is
The right to be forgotten comes from European data protection law. In 2014, the top EU court ruled that people can ask search engines to remove some results about them. The GDPR (the EU's main data protection law) later set out a wider "right to erasure". The UK has a similar right under its own version of the GDPR.
For search engines, this is called delisting: removing a link from the results when someone searches your name. It is important to know what it does not do.
- 01You askSend Google a list of links.
- 02Google weighs itYour privacy against public interest.
- 03Result delistedGone from name searches.
- 04Page staysThe website stays the same.
- The page stays online. Anyone with the link, or who finds it on the website itself, can still read it.
- Only name searches change. The page may still show up for other searches, such as a topic or a place.
- It is usually limited to Europe. Google generally applies delisting to searches made in Europe, not worldwide.
Who can use it, and where
The right belongs to people, not companies, and it is tied to European law. In general, you can use it if you live in the EU, in a nearby country that follows the same data rules, or in the UK.
Most other countries do not give people this right by law. If you live elsewhere, there are still other routes:
- Ask the website. The publisher can correct, update, or remove the page. See our guide on getting a news article corrected or removed.
- Use Google's other tools. Google has its own forms for some personal details and for pages that have changed. Our guide to Google's removal tools explains them.
- Remove personal details. Our guide on removing your address and personal details covers phone numbers, addresses, and people-search sites.
What Google weighs up
This is not an automatic right. Google looks at each link and balances your privacy against the public's right to know. There is no fixed formula, but these are the kinds of things that usually matter:
More likely to be delisted
- Information that is out of date or no longer relevant.
- Information that is wrong or misleading.
- Details about a private person with no public role.
- Sensitive details, such as your health or your sex life.
- Something that happened when you were a child.
More likely to stay
- Your public role, such as being a politician or a business leader.
- Recent news that still matters to the public.
- Serious wrongdoing linked to your job.
- Things you shared yourself, such as your own posts.
Time matters a lot. Something that was clearly news a few years ago may become less relevant as time passes, especially for a private person.
How to make a clear request
Google has an online form for removal requests under European privacy law. It is free to use. A careful request takes a little time, but it gives Google what it needs to decide.
Search your name
Search your name the way others would, and note every result you want removed. Try variations, such as with your town or job.
Copy each exact link
Open each result and copy the full web address of the page. Google needs the exact link, not just the website name.
Explain each link
For each link, say in a few plain sentences what it shows, why it is out of date, wrong, or private, and how it affects you.
Add supporting proof
If something changed, attach proof. For example, a court document showing a case was dropped, or that a conviction is now spent.
Send it through Google's form
Use Google's form for personal information removal under European privacy law. Google may ask you to prove you are the person named.
Keep a record
Save a copy of what you sent and any reference number or emails from Google.
If Google says no
Google decides each request, and it does not promise a time. If it refuses, it usually explains why. You still have options:
- Send a new request with more detail. If you have new facts or proof, or if more time has passed, you can ask again.
- Complain to your data protection authority. Each EU country has one, and in the UK it is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). They can review how Google handled your request.
- Get legal advice. In some cases, a court can decide. A qualified lawyer can tell you if this is realistic for you. We are not lawyers.
Whatever Google decides, you can also work on what people see first. Our guide on pushing down negative search results explains how to do that honestly.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Every platform and country has its own rules, and they change. We are not lawyers. For legal questions about your case, please speak to a qualified lawyer.