We understand it can be distressing when your contact information is shared in a malicious way, including threatening language, and/or calls to engage in harassing behavior. This is often referred to as “doxxing.” This article is intended to support you through the process to request removal of such content from Google search results.
Requirements
For us to consider the content for removal, it must meet both of these requirements:
- Your contact information is present.
- There’s the presence of:
- Explicit or implicit threats, or
- Explicit or implicit calls to action for others to harm or harass.
Important: We will not take action under this policy on ordinary uses of contact information, such as online directories, business and real estate records, and government documents.
Request to remove doxxing content from Google Search
You or your authorized representative can submit a request to remove links to the content from Google search results. Any authorized representative will need to explain how they have the authority to act on your behalf.
Important: We only review the URLs that you or your authorized representative submits in the form.
What happens after you submit the removal request
- You get an automated email confirmation. This confirms we received the request.
- We review your request. Each request is evaluated based on the requirements above.
- We gather more info, if needed. In some cases, we may ask you for more information. If the request doesn’t have enough information for us to evaluate, like missing URLs, we’ll share specific instructions and ask you to resubmit the request.
- You will get notification of any action taken.
- 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.
- If the submitted URLs are found to be within the scope of our policy, they will be removed only from search results in which the query includes the complainant’s name, or other provided identifiers, such as aliases and social media handles.
We generally aim to preserve information access if the content is determined to be of public interest. This includes content pertaining to:
- Professional contact information shared in the context of allegations of professional wrongdoing such as fraud and scams
- Government records
- Criminal conduct
- Topics such as active civic participation and public officials
Frequently asked questions
The intake form has multiple options for removals. Which option do I choose?In the section for the type of content you want to remove, select Personal info, like ID numbers and private documents. Then select Contact information, like address, phone number, or email address, that has been shared in a malicious or harassing way (also called "doxxing").
You must submit all the web or image URLs that you want us to review for removal from Google search results. If you’re reporting an image, please submit both the image URL and the web URL.
In the form, we ask for 2 types of URLs:
- URL of the webpage that shows the content
- URL of the Google search results page that contains the link to the web page you’re reporting
In the URL field of the form, add one URL per line. You can submit up to 1,000 URLs.
A web page can have content that’s relevant to multiple individuals. Screenshots of the content that’s related to you helps us identify the offending content for removal. We encourage you to edit the screenshots to obscure any sexually explicit portions of the screenshot.
You can take a screenshot on your computer or your mobile device. We suggest that you take the screenshot on the same device that you’ll use to submit the form, so you won’t need to transfer the image between devices.
Learn how to take a screenshot on your:
This removal process is for content that is still live on a webpage. If the content no longer appears on the webpage but appears in Google search results or as a cached page, request removal with the Outdated URL removal tool.