New Google Policy Lets You Remove Images Of Minors From Search

Google announced a new policy and tool to allow you to remove images of minors, kids and teens under the age of 18, from Google Search results, both images and web search. This is likely a welcomed feature for many parents, many teens and reputation management companies.

Google said “with a newly implemented policy, anyone under the age of 18, or their parent or guardian, can now request the removal of their images from Search results, following a few simple steps. This means these images won’t appear in the Images tab or as thumbnails in any feature in Google Search.”

This help document walks you through more details of when and who can request this. It says that Google removes images of anyone below the age of 18 from search results at the request of the individual under 18 or their parent or guardian, with the exception of cases of compelling public interest or newsworthiness. This means these images won’t appear in the Google Images tab or as thumbnails in any feature in Google Search. Google cannot remove the image from the web site it is being hosted on but it can remove it from the Google Search results.

Here is the link to the form to request removal of the image.

What happens after you submit the removal request:

• You get an automated email confirmation. This confirms we received the request.
• Google will review your request. Each request is evaluated based on the requirements above.
• Google will gather more info, if needed. In some cases, Google may ask you for more information. If the request doesn’t have enough information for us to evaluate, like missing URLs, Google will share specific instructions and ask you to resubmit the request.
• You will get a notification of any action taken. If submitted image URLs are found to be within the scope of our policy, they will be removed from Google search results. If the request doesn’t meet the requirements for removal, we’ll also include a brief explanation. If your request is denied and later you have additional materials to support your case, you can re-submit your request.

As I said at Search Engine Land, it should make it easier for some reputation management companies to deal with these requests going forward.

Forum discussion at Twitter and WebmasterWorld.