You can ask Google to remove photos of minors from search |
Google has introduced a new security feature that allows people under the age of 18 to request that their photos be removed from the company's search results.
This feature was first announced in August and there are new restrictions on advertising for minors. But it is now widespread.
Anyone can initiate the removal process from this help page. Applicants are required to provide the URLs of the images they would like to be removed from search results, the search terms displaying those images, the names and ages of minors, and the names and relationships of anyone who may be acting on their behalf—parents or guardians, example z.
As with these types of deletion requests, it's hard to say what criteria a company will use in evaluating it.
The company has announced that it will remove all images of minors unless it is in the public interest or merit.
As we have seen in the controversial issues of the EU's right to be forgotten, it is difficult to explain how these rules apply in different situations.
From a Google language perspective, the person in the photo will only meet these requirements if the person in the photo is currently under 18 years old.
So if you are at least 30 years old, you cannot request removal of your 15 year old photo.
This limits the scope of the tool to prevent abuse or harassment. But it is supposed to make the verification process easier. Proving your age in any way is more difficult than proving your age now.
The company noted that under this policy to restrict the display of images in Google search results, URLs (pages containing text and images) cannot be removed on the Internet.
This benefit applies to minors, their parents and legal representatives
The company also indicated that removing an image from search results would not remove it from the network. The company encourages those who follow the application process to contact the site administrator directly.
While this is unsuccessful, removing information from the Google index is definitely the second best option.
In addition to these new options for removing images of minors, the company has other options to request the removal of certain types of harmful content.
This includes non-consensual sexually explicit photos, fake pornography, financial or medical information, and private information including home addresses and phone numbers.