What to Do If Google Search Results Are Harming You
Damaging information appearing in Google search results may be removable through the right to be forgotten (UK GDPR delisting), defamation law, or Google's own removal policies. The correct approach depends on the nature of the content.
Quick Answer
Your options depend on what the content is and whether it is accurate. For outdated or irrelevant personal data, use the right to erasure / delisting under UK GDPR Article 17. For defamatory content, pursue the publisher under the Defamation Act 2013 and submit a legal removal request to Google. For court records or crime reports, review-specific procedures apply. Never submit false claims to Google — this can backfire.
Full Explanation
Google search results can cause serious harm to individuals — whether through outdated information, defamatory articles, information about old criminal convictions, or private information they never consented to publish. The legal tools available depend on the nature of the harmful content.
The right to be forgotten (more accurately, the right to erasure and delisting) arises from UK GDPR Article 17 and the Court of Justice of the EU's decision in Google Spain v AEPD [2014] (which, as interpreted into UK law, survives Brexit). It allows individuals to request that search engines like Google delist URLs from search results that index pages containing personal data that is: no longer necessary; processed without consent; or where processing is unlawful. Importantly, the right is not absolute — it does not apply where the data is necessary for the exercise of the right of freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, or for reasons of public interest. In practice, the right most commonly succeeds for spent criminal convictions (Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974), old negative news articles that no longer serve a legitimate public interest, and financial information that is no longer current.
Google has its own delisting request process at myaccount.google.com/delete-services-or-account. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) also accepts complaints about Google's refusal to delist, and the ICO can make a formal finding against Google which Google must comply with. The GDPR delisting route applies to the search index — it does not remove content from the underlying website. You may need to address the source website separately.
For defamatory content, the Defamation Act 2013 provides the primary legal framework. If a webpage or article contains a false statement of fact about you that has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to your reputation, you can: notify the publisher (Section 5 defence/Defamation Act procedure); issue a defamation claim in the High Court (for serious cases); and submit a legal request (via a solicitor's letter or Google's legal removal request tool) asking Google to delist the URL pending resolution of the defamation dispute. Google will usually delist URLs following a court order, but will not act on bare assertions of defamation.
Google also has its own content policies that allow removal of: private personal information (such as contact details shared without consent), images shared without consent, doxxing content, and content that violates its SafeSearch policies. These requests are submitted through Google's support portal.
Legal Basis
- §UK GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure)
- §Data Protection Act 2018
- §Google Spain SL v Agencia Española de Protección de Datos [2014] CJEU C-131/12 (right to delisting)
- §Defamation Act 2013 (serious harm threshold and publisher defences)
What To Do
Identify the Nature of the Harmful Content
Categorise the content: is it inaccurate (defamatory)? Is it accurate but outdated personal information? Is it private information you never consented to? Is it a spent criminal conviction? Is it intimate images? The answer determines which legal route to use.
Submit a UK GDPR Delisting Request to Google
Use Google's delisting request form at myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy for personal data that is outdated, no longer relevant, or processed without a legal basis. Explain specifically why the data should be delisted, referencing the grounds in UK GDPR Article 17(1). Provide URLs, your identity, and the specific grounds.
Contact the Publisher Directly
In many cases, removing or correcting the content at source (on the website that published it) is more effective than delisting. Write to the website's editor or Data Protection Officer. For defamatory content, a formal legal letter from a solicitor often achieves faster results than a court claim.
Complain to the ICO If Google Refuses
If Google refuses your delisting request and you believe the refusal is unlawful under UK GDPR, submit a complaint to the ICO. The ICO can investigate and, if it finds in your favour, issue an enforcement notice requiring Google to delist. The ICO complaint form is available at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Consider Defamation Proceedings
For false statements of fact that have caused serious harm to your reputation, instruct a media/defamation solicitor. A solicitor's pre-action letter to the publisher frequently achieves removal and often an apology. Court proceedings are expensive and should be a last resort, but Google will comply with a court injunction.
Important Deadlines
Important Warnings
The right to be forgotten does not remove content from the internet — it removes it from Google's search index for searches made in the UK/EU. The original page still exists and can be found by direct URL or other search engines.
False or exaggerated complaints to Google or the ICO can backfire — if the content is accurate and in the public interest, the information may be retained and your complaint may draw more attention to it.
For information about historical criminal offences, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides that spent convictions need not be disclosed in most contexts, but press reports of those convictions are not automatically removable — a case-by-case assessment is required.