Google has introduced a new safety feature that allows minors under the age of 18 to request that photographs of themselves be removed from the company’s search results. After being revealed in a blog post on August 10th, coupled with new limitations on advertising to minors, the feature is now generally available to the general public.
This help page has all the information needed to get started with the process. In order to be considered for the service, Google will request you provide the URLs of photos you want deleted from search results, the keywords that show these images, your name (that is, of you’re under-18), age, as well as the person acting on your behalf, such as a parent or guardian.
Because of this, it’s impossible to predict exactly what criteria Google would use when making its decisions about the removal requests. And for “Cases of Compelling Public Interest or Newsworthiness,” the company says any photos in circumstances will not be deleted.
Trying to figure out how these terms apply in diverse scenarios can be confusing. Additionally, Google’s statement indicates that it will deny requests unless the person in the image is currently under the age of 18.
Therefore, if you are 30, you cannot apply to have photographs of yourself taken when you were 15. This constrains the tool’s ability to prevent misuse or harassment, but apparently simplifies the verification process. It’s more difficult to establish your age in any given photograph than it is to establish your current age.
Additionally, Google emphasises that removing an image from its search results does not necessarily mean that it is removed from the web. It encourages applicants to contact the webmaster directly. Though this has not always been successful, removing information from Google’s index is a close second.
Along with these new options for removing images of minors, Google already provides additional channels for requesting the removal of specific types of harmful content. These include explicit imagery obtained without consent, fabricated pornography, financial or medical information, and “doxxing” information such as home addresses and phone numbers.
