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You can ask a search engine to remove eligible personal information from its results, but that does not delete the information from the website hosting it. Start by recording the exact result URL and identifying what it exposes; then choose the right route: a personal-content request, a contact-information request, an outdated-result refresh, or a request to the source website.

Choose the request route that matches the problem

Different routes address different situations. A result may violate a search engine’s personal-content policy, expose contact details, show information that has already been changed on the page, or require action by the original website. In the EU, you can also ask a search engine to delist certain results for searches of your name.

Situation Where to start What the request addresses
Qualifying personal content or doxxing appears in Google Search Google’s personal-content removal process Whether the result qualifies for removal under Google’s policies. A request is reviewed and may be denied.
Your address, phone number, or email appears in a Google result Google’s Results about you Eligible contact information shown in Google Search.
The source page changed, but a search result still shows old information Google’s outdated-content refresh tool An outdated result or snippet after the information has been changed or removed from the page.
You want the information removed from the website itself Contact the website owner or the platform hosting the page The source page, rather than only its visibility in a particular search engine.
You are in the EU and want a result delisted for searches of your name Use the applicable search engine’s privacy request process; see Google’s EU privacy removal guidance and Bing’s EU privacy request form A jurisdiction-specific request assessed against privacy, public interest, and freedom of expression considerations.

Prepare the result details

Before submitting a request, copy the exact URL of each result and note the personal information it reveals. Google’s contact-information guidance asks for the addresses of the pages where the information appears. Keeping the URL and the specific issue together helps you select the appropriate request route and describe what needs review.

  • Record the result URL, not just the search terms or page title.
  • Identify whether the issue is contact information, other qualifying personal content, outdated information, or a page you want removed at its source.
  • If the page has already changed, note that; an outdated-result refresh request is for stale Search content, not a way to remove information that remains on the page.

Request removal from Google Search

For qualifying personal content

Use Google’s personal-content removal process for content that may qualify under its current policies, including doxxing. Google reviews each request under those policies; submitting one does not guarantee that the result will be removed. Eligibility depends on the content and the applicable policy.

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For contact information

For an address, phone number, or email address exposed in a Google result, check Results about you. This is a route for eligible contact details in Google Search, distinct from the personal-content process.

For a result that is out of date

If the website has removed or changed the information but Google still displays the old version in a result or snippet, request a refresh through Google’s outdated-content tool. The page itself needs to have changed; if the information is still there, contact the site or platform instead.

Ask the original website or platform to remove the information

Search-result removal and source-page deletion are separate actions. Google states, “It’s important to remember that removing content from Google Search won’t remove it from the internet, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you’re comfortable doing so.” Google’s Search guidance and company blog explain this distinction.

If the information remains on the source page, contact the website owner or the social platform where it was posted, where appropriate. Removing a result from one search engine does not itself remove the page, ensure removal from other search engines, or erase copies elsewhere online.

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If you are in the EU, consider a name-based delisting request

EU residents can ask the applicable search engine to delist certain results when searching for their name. In the request, explain why the information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, excessive, or no longer relevant, as applicable. The search engine weighs privacy interests against public interest and freedom of expression; approval is not automatic. Official or public-record material may receive distinct consideration.

Google provides an EU privacy removal process, and Bing provides an EU privacy request form. The European Commission says organisations should respond to data-rights requests without undue delay and, in principle, within one month, or explain in writing why a request cannot be accepted. That general timeframe is not a promise that a particular delisting request will be granted within a month. See the Commission’s guidance for individuals on data protection.

What to expect after submitting

  • A search engine evaluates a request under its current policies and the law that applies; it may refuse it.
  • A decision about results in one search engine does not remove the source page or necessarily affect other search engines.
  • For EU name-based requests, the balance between privacy and public interest matters, and location and applicable rules affect the process.
  • If the source changes after you submit a request, use the outdated-result refresh route for a stale Google result; if it has not changed, pursue removal with the source where appropriate.

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