In Europe, Google will scrub your embarrassing search results

Bowing to a decision from the European Union's highest court, Google will honor Europeans' "right to be forgotten" from search results. To that end, Google created a webpage late Thursday where users can request unflattering information about themselves be deleted from search results.

It's unclear when and how such links would be removed. "We will assess each individual request and attempt to balance the privacy rights of the individual with the public's right to know and distribute information," Google said.

That means there's no guarantee that any given link will be scraped from Google's European search results. Among other things, Google will consider if the disputed link includes outdated information and if there's public interest in the information — such as criminal convictions or a politician's run-in with the law.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up