Written by the Removal Lab team.
Is an old article about you still the first thing people see when they search your name, years after it stopped being relevant? If you live in Europe or the UK, a right to be forgotten Google request lets you ask Google to drop that result from searches on your name. Removal Lab built this guide from Google’s own help pages and from UK and EU regulator sources so you know what the form asks for, how Google decides and what it will not cover.
The right to be forgotten Google process is real but it is not a delete button. It is a balancing test. Google weighs your privacy against the public’s interest in finding the information, page by page.
The quick version
- Check you have a connection to a European country, such as residency or citizenship.
- List the exact URLs and the search you use to find them, normally your full name.
- Open Google’s right to be forgotten webform from its Legal Help Center.
- Explain how each page relates to you and why it should be delisted. Add a contact email.
- Wait for Google’s email. If it refuses, ask your data protection authority to review, which is the ICO in the UK.
Where the right to be forgotten Google process comes from
Google says the right to be forgotten Google applies today traces back to a European court ruling in May 2014. The court said results could be delisted when they are inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive. The General Data Protection Regulation added a similar right to erasure in Article 17 in 2018.
In the UK the same article lives on as UK GDPR Article 17. The Information Commissioner’s Office says the right to erasure is also known as the right to be forgotten. It also says the right is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances.
Google notes that Turkey, Serbia and the Canadian province of Quebec have similar laws. In Quebec, Google says the right covers information distributed unlawfully, under a court order or causing serious harm to reputation or privacy. At EU level, the European Data Protection Board adopted Guidelines 5/2019 on the criteria for the right to be forgotten in search engine cases, with the final version dated 7 July 2020.
| Where you are | The law Google and regulators point to | Who reviews a refusal |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | GDPR Article 17 and the 2014 ruling | Your local data protection authority |
| United Kingdom | UK GDPR Article 17 and the Data Protection Act 2018 | The Information Commissioner’s Office |
| Quebec, Canada | Quebec’s own law, as Google describes it | Google does not set this out on the pages we read |
| United States | Not among the places Google’s overview lists | Not covered on the pages we read |
How to make a right to be forgotten Google request step by step
Google’s Right to be Forgotten Overview links to its webform for Search. The ICO gives a blunt warning about these forms: not using the right form, or not giving the right information, could mean your request is delayed or rejected. So prepare your right to be forgotten Google request before you start.
- Collect the URLs. Search your name and copy the exact address of every result you want delisted. Google needs the specific URLs.
- Note the search. Google asks for the search query, normally your full name. A nickname or other name may be accepted if you explain how it links to you.
- Open the form. Use the right to be forgotten Google webform linked from Google’s Right to be Forgotten Overview page.
- Explain each page. Describe how the content relates to you and why it should be delisted. Keep it factual and specific to each URL.
- Add a contact email. Google may write asking for more information and waits for your reply before going further.
- Submit and keep the confirmation. Google sends an automatic confirmation. The decision arrives by email, with a short explanation if a URL is not delisted.
You can apply for someone else only if you are legally authorised to act for them. Google says companies and other legal entities usually cannot use a right to be forgotten Google request, because data protection rules protect individuals.
The public interest test Google applies
Google says every right to be forgotten Google request first passes through automated triage. Simple or mistaken requests may be handled there. The rest go to trained reviewers, including third party vendors, with hard cases going to senior staff and lawyers. Each right to be forgotten Google request is judged case by case.
| Factor | Weighs towards delisting | Weighs against delisting |
|---|---|---|
| Public role | Information with little link to any public role | Senior officials, candidates for office, criticism of professional conduct |
| Source | Aggregator pages listing personal contact details | Government publications and recent journalism |
| Age | Information that became outdated, such as a trial that ended without conviction | A role you still hold today |
| Effect on users | Little reason for the public to need it | Past clients’ reviews of a professional service |
| Truth | Reliable evidence it is false, such as a court ruling | Claims Google cannot test |
| Sensitive data | Health, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or religion | Information you published yourself |
Google’s FAQ on European privacy requests adds common reasons a right to be forgotten Google request succeeds: a clear lack of public interest, sensitive information, content about minors or minor crimes committed as a minor, plus spent convictions, acquittals or accusations proven false. It also lists common reasons it says no: another route exists such as a site’s own removal tool, a technical error such as an incomplete URL, a duplicate request or a strong public interest. No single factor decides a case.
What a right to be forgotten Google request will not do
- Delete the page. The ICO says delisting does not remove the webpage. You would need to ask the site owner.
- Hide the page for every search. Google removes it only for searches on your name.
- Work worldwide. Google applies delisting on European versions of Search and restricts the result for users in your country. Since the 2019 ruling it does not apply it to services for countries outside the EU.
- Cover companies. Corporate requests are generally outside the right.
- Settle who is right. Google says it is not well placed to judge whether claims are true and asks for reliable evidence.
- Stay secret from the site. Google says it notifies site owners where possible, though it no longer shares the requester’s personal data.
If you are outside Europe and the UK, other tools may still help. Contact details can go through Google Results about you. Unlawful content anywhere can go through a Google legal removal request.
What if it does not work
- Read Google’s explanation. When a right to be forgotten Google request fails, Google gives a brief reason for not delisting the URL. Use it to decide your next step.
- Fix technical problems. Incomplete URLs and searches that do not match your name are common reasons for refusal. Correct them and apply again.
- Ask the regulator. Google says you may ask your local data protection authority to review the decision. In the UK, the ICO says you can report your concern to it. The ICO considers accuracy, relevance, your public role, special category data, whether a child is involved, criminal offences and how the content was published.
- Go to the source. The ICO and Google both point out that the page stays online. Google says removal at the source is more effective than delisting where it is possible. Once the page changes, the Refresh Outdated Content tool can clear the old snippet.
- Get the timing right. Information that becomes outdated weighs towards delisting. A request refused today may read differently after a sentence is spent or a role has ended.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using a right to be forgotten Google request on a page only because it is unflattering. The ICO says it will not ask for removal just because you object.
- Leaving out the search query. Google needs to see the page appears for your name.
- Sending the same URL again while a request is open. Google lists duplicates as a reason to refuse.
- Filing for a business. The right protects individuals.
- Assuming the result will vanish in other countries. It is restricted by location.
- Ignoring the source. Delisting leaves the page live.
A worked example
This is a made up example to show the steps. It is not a client case.
Lena lives in Germany. Twelve years ago a local news site reported that she had been charged in a minor case. The trial ended without conviction. A search on her full name still showed the article near the top.
Lena made a right to be forgotten Google request through the webform linked from Google’s Right to be Forgotten Overview. She entered the article URL and her full name as the search query, explained that she was the person named and that the case ended without conviction. She attached the court document showing the outcome. She added her email. Google sent an automatic confirmation and later emailed its decision. Had it refused, her next step would have been to ask her local data protection authority to review it.
Remember the age factor
Google says information that became outdated after it was published, such as a trial that ended without conviction, weighs towards delisting. Say plainly what has changed since the page went up.
Where Removal Lab fits
You can make a right to be forgotten Google request yourself. We help when the right to be forgotten Google balancing test is close, when several pages and search engines are involved or when the source site also needs a request.
See our UK review removal page for UK specific notes, our Google search result removal service, our guide on how to remove your name from Google and our news article removal work. For wider name search problems, see personal reputation removal. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
How Removal Lab works
- Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
- Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
- We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
- Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
- Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
- Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.
Want a view on whether your page qualifies?
Send the link and your country. A specialist checks it against Google’s criteria and replies within one business day. No upfront payment on qualifying cases.
Frequently asked questions
Who can make a right to be forgotten Google request?
Google says the affected individual can apply, or someone legally authorised to act for them. Google needs a connection to a European country, such as residency or citizenship. Companies and other legal entities usually cannot apply.
Does the right to be forgotten apply in the UK?
Yes. UK GDPR Article 17 sets out the right to erasure, which the ICO says is also known as the right to be forgotten. The ICO tells people to use the search engine’s own form and to report a concern to the ICO if the request is refused.
Does delisting delete the page?
No. Google removes the result only for searches on your name. The page stays on the website and can still appear for other searches.
Will Google delist results worldwide?
No. Google says delisting applies to European versions of Google Search and uses location signals to restrict the result for users in your country. Since a 2019 ruling of the Court of Justice, Google does not apply it to services outside the EU.
What makes Google more likely to say yes?
Google says sensitive information such as health, sexual orientation, race or religion is much more likely to be delisted. Outdated information, content about minors and spent convictions also weigh towards delisting.
What can I do if Google refuses?
Google says you can ask your local data protection authority to review the decision. In the UK, the ICO says you can report your concern to it.
Sources: Google Legal Help: Right to be Forgotten Overview, Google Transparency Report: European privacy requests Search removals FAQs, UK GDPR Article 17 on legislation.gov.uk, ICO: Internet search results, ICO: Right to erasure and EDPB Guidelines 5/2019 on the right to be forgotten in search engine cases. Removal Lab does not work for Google. Every decision is made by the platform.