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Internet Searches Deletion Companies


Internet Searches Deletion Companies

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marcovanba
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khafka - 16 Jul 25 4:33 PM
marcovanba - 16 Jul 25 4:30 PM
How long do Bing / Yahoo usually take to reply to a 1st enquiry?

Just checked on my last attempt. About 1 week.
Request sent off on the 11th of April and got my response on the 19th.

Been waiting way longer than that, will chase them up... thanks for replying
Aradia
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I'm sure I read somewhere that someone went to the actual newspaper that posted the article online and asked them to take it down. Once everything is spent. Has anyone ever heard of that. I wondered if I should use one of the internet deletion companies and ask them is that something they do or have had any luck with it. 
BeKind
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Thanks for your help, it’s has taken Google 3 weeks to remove links but now gone !

Does anyone know if it possible to remove Google autocomplete searches of your name or do these disappear over time please?

Thanks
Evan Davis
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BeKind - 25 Jul 25 4:47 PM
Thanks for your help, it’s has taken Google 3 weeks to remove links but now gone !Does anyone know if it possible to remove Google autocomplete searches of your name or do these disappear over time please?Thanks

Auto-complete search results are based on the volume of search requests over the preceding 90 days. They're not (to my knowledge) covered by the RTBF.

There's also a "local" cookie Google uses on your devices to track your own search history - so it may be that the autocomplete is more prominent (ie happens further back in the word) for you than it would for others. Over time, as the total amount of search results undertaken using your name falls (as less information will be hopefully be available, so people less likely to search often), the likelihood of your name showing in autocomplete will also reduce. 

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All views, opinions & contributions are my own and do not represent the views of Unlock unless specifically stated.

O Brown
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khafka - 26 Jun 25 1:44 PM
O Brown - 26 Jun 25 10:56 AM

Hiya Please let me know the steps you took and if there was anything specific to write down on requests. I have a few local new paper articles which I need removing and my conviction is spent. 

Hey there, there are a couple of prerequisites to sort first.
  1. Sentence must be spent - You mention yours is, so that's great! 
  2. You can't be a public/famous person - If you're a politician, famous musician, or even a prominent local businessman then you'll likely get rejected
  3. A list of all the URLs you want removed - Spent a little bit of time Googling yourself under various parameters to make sure you catch everything. "John Smith, John Smith City, John Smith Sentenced, John Smith [CRIME]" you get the ide
After you've gotten that sorted head to their removals form which you can access here: https://reportcontent.google.com/forms/rtbf

The form is fairly self-explanatory and simple enough to navigate. 
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • Irrelevance/Outdated
  • Inappropriate
  • Not in the Public Interest
I have redacted some of the information here (personal info and stuff) but to give you an idea this is what I wrote:

I request that the above URL link/s about me, should not be included as a search result for
the following reasons:

Irrelevant - These are referencing a crime that happened nearly half a decade ago. My sentence has long been spent and under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 I am no longer seen as a danger to the public and should be treated as such.

Inappropriate - Some of these links, mainly the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] ones are the result of harassment. The [REDACTED] account in question has also spent time coming to my home to harrass me as a result of these searches putting myself and loved ones at risk. It is also severely affecting my ability to get back into gainful employment and go back to being a productive member of society.

Not In The Public Interest - I am not a famous or a public figure. As mentioned, this crime was nearly half a decade ago and it has been considered spent for years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some of the news sites have long since archived the links due to their irrelevance yet the archives still exist.

I have spoken with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who have advised to approach you directly first for an amicable solution.

If I do not received a satisfactory response, I will consider taking this matter further with the Information Commissioners Office.

Yours faithfully,

NAME


Took about 2-3 weeks from what I remember to get an initial response, I then got an email back saying they'll removed them all. From then on all I do is reply to that email with any new links that pop up and they're gone in like 24-48 hours.

Hope this helps! 

YAHOOOOOOOO

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!   Just got the below reply from google 

Hello,Thanks for reaching out to us.We had a look at these URLs:
We'll delist these URLs from search results for queries related to your name. We'll delist them in your country, and from other European versions of Google Search. It may take a few hours for this to happen.The content itself will still be online, but you can ask the site's webmaster to take it down. You can learn how to contact a site's webmaster on our Help Center. 

khafka
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O Brown - 28 Jul 25 2:12 PM
khafka - 26 Jun 25 1:44 PM
O Brown - 26 Jun 25 10:56 AM

Hiya Please let me know the steps you took and if there was anything specific to write down on requests. I have a few local new paper articles which I need removing and my conviction is spent. 

Hey there, there are a couple of prerequisites to sort first.
  1. Sentence must be spent - You mention yours is, so that's great! 
  2. You can't be a public/famous person - If you're a politician, famous musician, or even a prominent local businessman then you'll likely get rejected
  3. A list of all the URLs you want removed - Spent a little bit of time Googling yourself under various parameters to make sure you catch everything. "John Smith, John Smith City, John Smith Sentenced, John Smith [CRIME]" you get the ide
After you've gotten that sorted head to their removals form which you can access here: https://reportcontent.google.com/forms/rtbf

The form is fairly self-explanatory and simple enough to navigate. 
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • Irrelevance/Outdated
  • Inappropriate
  • Not in the Public Interest
I have redacted some of the information here (personal info and stuff) but to give you an idea this is what I wrote:

I request that the above URL link/s about me, should not be included as a search result for
the following reasons:

Irrelevant - These are referencing a crime that happened nearly half a decade ago. My sentence has long been spent and under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 I am no longer seen as a danger to the public and should be treated as such.

Inappropriate - Some of these links, mainly the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] ones are the result of harassment. The [REDACTED] account in question has also spent time coming to my home to harrass me as a result of these searches putting myself and loved ones at risk. It is also severely affecting my ability to get back into gainful employment and go back to being a productive member of society.

Not In The Public Interest - I am not a famous or a public figure. As mentioned, this crime was nearly half a decade ago and it has been considered spent for years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some of the news sites have long since archived the links due to their irrelevance yet the archives still exist.

I have spoken with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who have advised to approach you directly first for an amicable solution.

If I do not received a satisfactory response, I will consider taking this matter further with the Information Commissioners Office.

Yours faithfully,

NAME


Took about 2-3 weeks from what I remember to get an initial response, I then got an email back saying they'll removed them all. From then on all I do is reply to that email with any new links that pop up and they're gone in like 24-48 hours.

Hope this helps! 

YAHOOOOOOOO

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!   Just got the below reply from google 

Hello,Thanks for reaching out to us.We had a look at these URLs:
We'll delist these URLs from search results for queries related to your name. We'll delist them in your country, and from other European versions of Google Search. It may take a few hours for this to happen.The content itself will still be online, but you can ask the site's webmaster to take it down. You can learn how to contact a site's webmaster on our Help Center. 

Faaaaantastic! Great news! BigGrin

I will advise you keep a hold of that email reply moving forward. So if any other URLs pop up in future you just reply to that email with the URLs and they'll remove them without you having to fill out the forms and stuff again, saves you so much time and messing about. 

Chuffed for you though! 
AB2014
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khafka - 28 Jul 25 2:22 PM
O Brown - 28 Jul 25 2:12 PM
khafka - 26 Jun 25 1:44 PM
O Brown - 26 Jun 25 10:56 AM

Hiya Please let me know the steps you took and if there was anything specific to write down on requests. I have a few local new paper articles which I need removing and my conviction is spent. 

Hey there, there are a couple of prerequisites to sort first.
  1. Sentence must be spent - You mention yours is, so that's great! 
  2. You can't be a public/famous person - If you're a politician, famous musician, or even a prominent local businessman then you'll likely get rejected
  3. A list of all the URLs you want removed - Spent a little bit of time Googling yourself under various parameters to make sure you catch everything. "John Smith, John Smith City, John Smith Sentenced, John Smith [CRIME]" you get the ide
After you've gotten that sorted head to their removals form which you can access here: https://reportcontent.google.com/forms/rtbf
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • Irrelevance/Outdated
  • Inappropriate
  • Not in the Public Interest
I have redacted some of the information here (personal info and stuff) but to give you an idea this is what I wrote:

I request that the above URL link/s about me, should not be included as a search result for
the following reasons:

Irrelevant - These are referencing a crime that happened nearly half a decade ago. My sentence has long been spent and under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 I am no longer seen as a danger to the public and should be treated as such.

Inappropriate - Some of these links, mainly the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] ones are the result of harassment. The [REDACTED] account in question has also spent time coming to my home to harrass me as a result of these searches putting myself and loved ones at risk. It is also severely affecting my ability to get back into gainful employment and go back to being a productive member of society.

Not In The Public Interest - I am not a famous or a public figure. As mentioned, this crime was nearly half a decade ago and it has been considered spent for years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some of the news sites have long since archived the links due to their irrelevance yet the archives still exist.

I have spoken with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who have advised to approach you directly first for an amicable solution.

If I do not received a satisfactory response, I will consider taking this matter further with the Information Commissioners Office.

Yours faithfully,

NAME


Took about 2-3 weeks from what I remember to get an initial response, I then got an email back saying they'll removed them all. From then on all I do is reply to that email with any new links that pop up and they're gone in like 24-48 hours.

Hope this helps! 

YAHOOOOOOOO

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!   Just got the below reply from google 

Hello,Thanks for reaching out to us.We had a look at these URLs:
We'll delist these URLs from search results for queries related to your name. We'll delist them in your country, and from other European versions of Google Search. It may take a few hours for this to happen.The content itself will still be online, but you can ask the site's webmaster to take it down. You can learn how to contact a site's webmaster on our Help Center. 

Faaaaantastic! Great news! BigGrin

I will advise you keep a hold of that email reply moving forward. So if any other URLs pop up in future you just reply to that email with the URLs and they'll remove them without you having to fill out the forms and stuff again, saves you so much time and messing about. 

Chuffed for you though! 

Also, don't forget to use Google Alerts (yes, I know it's ironic) to check for mentions of you online. That way, you don't need to keep checking, and you can use the reply khafka mentioned to get Google to filter any future URLs.

=========================================================================================================

If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

O Brown
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AB2014 - 29 Jul 25 9:30 AM
khafka - 28 Jul 25 2:22 PM
O Brown - 28 Jul 25 2:12 PM
khafka - 26 Jun 25 1:44 PM
O Brown - 26 Jun 25 10:56 AM

Hiya Please let me know the steps you took and if there was anything specific to write down on requests. I have a few local new paper articles which I need removing and my conviction is spent. 

Hey there, there are a couple of prerequisites to sort first.
  1. Sentence must be spent - You mention yours is, so that's great! 
  2. You can't be a public/famous person - If you're a politician, famous musician, or even a prominent local businessman then you'll likely get rejected
  3. A list of all the URLs you want removed - Spent a little bit of time Googling yourself under various parameters to make sure you catch everything. "John Smith, John Smith City, John Smith Sentenced, John Smith [CRIME]" you get the ide
After you've gotten that sorted head to their removals form which you can access here: https://reportcontent.google.com/forms/rtbf
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • Irrelevance/Outdated
  • Inappropriate
  • Not in the Public Interest
I have redacted some of the information here (personal info and stuff) but to give you an idea this is what I wrote:

I request that the above URL link/s about me, should not be included as a search result for
the following reasons:

Irrelevant - These are referencing a crime that happened nearly half a decade ago. My sentence has long been spent and under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 I am no longer seen as a danger to the public and should be treated as such.

Inappropriate - Some of these links, mainly the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] ones are the result of harassment. The [REDACTED] account in question has also spent time coming to my home to harrass me as a result of these searches putting myself and loved ones at risk. It is also severely affecting my ability to get back into gainful employment and go back to being a productive member of society.

Not In The Public Interest - I am not a famous or a public figure. As mentioned, this crime was nearly half a decade ago and it has been considered spent for years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some of the news sites have long since archived the links due to their irrelevance yet the archives still exist.

I have spoken with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who have advised to approach you directly first for an amicable solution.

If I do not received a satisfactory response, I will consider taking this matter further with the Information Commissioners Office.

Yours faithfully,

NAME


Took about 2-3 weeks from what I remember to get an initial response, I then got an email back saying they'll removed them all. From then on all I do is reply to that email with any new links that pop up and they're gone in like 24-48 hours.

Hope this helps! 

YAHOOOOOOOO

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!   Just got the below reply from google 

Hello,Thanks for reaching out to us.We had a look at these URLs:
We'll delist these URLs from search results for queries related to your name. We'll delist them in your country, and from other European versions of Google Search. It may take a few hours for this to happen.The content itself will still be online, but you can ask the site's webmaster to take it down. You can learn how to contact a site's webmaster on our Help Center. 

Faaaaantastic! Great news! BigGrin

I will advise you keep a hold of that email reply moving forward. So if any other URLs pop up in future you just reply to that email with the URLs and they'll remove them without you having to fill out the forms and stuff again, saves you so much time and messing about. 

Chuffed for you though! 

Also, don't forget to use Google Alerts (yes, I know it's ironic) to check for mentions of you online. That way, you don't need to keep checking, and you can use the reply khafka mentioned to get Google to filter any future URLs.

Brill, will do..

todays plan is to hit Bing and Yahoo.

if there are another web search providers I need to check please let me know. Again thanks again. 
khafka
khafka
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AB2014 - 29 Jul 25 9:30 AM
khafka - 28 Jul 25 2:22 PM
O Brown - 28 Jul 25 2:12 PM
khafka - 26 Jun 25 1:44 PM
O Brown - 26 Jun 25 10:56 AM

Hiya Please let me know the steps you took and if there was anything specific to write down on requests. I have a few local new paper articles which I need removing and my conviction is spent. 

Hey there, there are a couple of prerequisites to sort first.
  1. Sentence must be spent - You mention yours is, so that's great! 
  2. You can't be a public/famous person - If you're a politician, famous musician, or even a prominent local businessman then you'll likely get rejected
  3. A list of all the URLs you want removed - Spent a little bit of time Googling yourself under various parameters to make sure you catch everything. "John Smith, John Smith City, John Smith Sentenced, John Smith [CRIME]" you get the ide
After you've gotten that sorted head to their removals form which you can access here: https://reportcontent.google.com/forms/rtbf
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • Irrelevance/Outdated
  • Inappropriate
  • Not in the Public Interest
I have redacted some of the information here (personal info and stuff) but to give you an idea this is what I wrote:

I request that the above URL link/s about me, should not be included as a search result for
the following reasons:

Irrelevant - These are referencing a crime that happened nearly half a decade ago. My sentence has long been spent and under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 I am no longer seen as a danger to the public and should be treated as such.

Inappropriate - Some of these links, mainly the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] ones are the result of harassment. The [REDACTED] account in question has also spent time coming to my home to harrass me as a result of these searches putting myself and loved ones at risk. It is also severely affecting my ability to get back into gainful employment and go back to being a productive member of society.

Not In The Public Interest - I am not a famous or a public figure. As mentioned, this crime was nearly half a decade ago and it has been considered spent for years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some of the news sites have long since archived the links due to their irrelevance yet the archives still exist.

I have spoken with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who have advised to approach you directly first for an amicable solution.

If I do not received a satisfactory response, I will consider taking this matter further with the Information Commissioners Office.

Yours faithfully,

NAME


Took about 2-3 weeks from what I remember to get an initial response, I then got an email back saying they'll removed them all. From then on all I do is reply to that email with any new links that pop up and they're gone in like 24-48 hours.

Hope this helps! 

YAHOOOOOOOO

Just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!   Just got the below reply from google 

Hello,Thanks for reaching out to us.We had a look at these URLs:
We'll delist these URLs from search results for queries related to your name. We'll delist them in your country, and from other European versions of Google Search. It may take a few hours for this to happen.The content itself will still be online, but you can ask the site's webmaster to take it down. You can learn how to contact a site's webmaster on our Help Center. 

Faaaaantastic! Great news! BigGrin

I will advise you keep a hold of that email reply moving forward. So if any other URLs pop up in future you just reply to that email with the URLs and they'll remove them without you having to fill out the forms and stuff again, saves you so much time and messing about. 

Chuffed for you though! 

Also, don't forget to use Google Alerts (yes, I know it's ironic) to check for mentions of you online. That way, you don't need to keep checking, and you can use the reply khafka mentioned to get Google to filter any future URLs.

I don't think I've set it up right. 

I set it up when you posted about it and set it to ping me once a week. I've definitely had Google results for me since setting it up but haven't actually received anything from Google to tell me. 
khafka
khafka
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O Brown - 29 Jul 25 10:09 AM

Brill, will do..

todays plan is to hit Bing and Yahoo.

if there are another web search providers I need to check please let me know. Again thanks again. 

I'd say Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo are the main ones ranked in terms of importance and userbase. 

I'm just doing them search engine at a time, currently on Bing as they're being a pain in the arse about it.
GO


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