Content policies for Google Search

We block search results that lead to child sexual abuse imagery or material that appears to victimize, endanger, or otherwise exploit children. Learn how to report child sexual abuse imagery.

Google might remove certain personal information that creates significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, or other specific harms, which include, but aren't limited to, doxxing content, explicit personal images, and involuntary fake pornography. Learn how to remove your personal information from Google.

We take action against spam, which is content that exhibits deceptive or manipulative behavior designed to deceive users or game our search systems. Learn more about Google Search Webmaster Guidelines.

Upon request, we remove content that webmasters or site owners wish to block from our web results. Learn how to block access to your content and how to remove information from Google.

We remove content or features from our Search results for legal reasons. For example, we remove content if we receive valid notification under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). We also remove content from local versions of Google, consistent with local law, when we're notified that content is an issue. For example, we remove content that illegally glorifies the Nazi party from our German service, or that unlawfully insults religion from our Indian service. We delist pages on name queries, based on data-protection requests, under what’s commonly known as the “Right to be Forgotten” in the EU. We scrutinize these requests to ensure that they're well-founded, and we frequently refuse to remove content when there's no clear basis in law.

When possible, we display a notification that results have been removed and report these removals to Lumen Database, a project run by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, which tracks online restrictions on speech. We also disclose certain details about legal removals from our Search results through our Transparency Report. Learn how to make a Legal Removals Request.

We don’t allow content that primarily advertises products or services, which includes direct calls to purchase, links to other websites, company contact information, and other promotional tactics. We don’t allow sponsored content that’s concealed or misrepresented as independent content.

We don’t allow content that could directly facilitate serious and immediate harm to people or animals. This includes, but isn't limited to, dangerous goods, services or activities, and self-harm, such as mutilation, eating disorders, or drug abuse.

We don’t allow content that impersonates any person or organization, misrepresentation or concealment of ownership or primary purpose, and engagement in inauthentic or coordinated behavior to deceive, defraud, or mislead. This includes, but isn’t limited to, the misrepresentation or concealment of country of origin or directing content at users in another country under false premises, and working together in ways that conceal or misrepresent information about relationships or editorial independence. This policy doesn't cover content with certain artistic, educational, historical, documentary, or scientific considerations, or other substantial benefits to the public.

We don’t allow harassment, bullying, or threatening content. This includes, but isn't limited to, content which might:

• Single someone out for malicious abuse.
• Threaten someone with serious harm.
• Sexualize someone in an unwanted way.
• Expose private information of someone that could be used to carry out threats.
• Disparage or belittle victims of violence or tragedy.
• Deny an atrocity.
• Cause harassment in other ways.

We don't allow content that promotes or condones violence, or has the primary purpose of inciting hatred against an individual or group. This includes, but isn't limited to, targeting on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other characteristic that's associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.

We don't allow audio, video, or image content that's been manipulated to deceive, defraud, or mislead by means of creating a representation of actions or events that verifiably didn't take place. This includes if such content would cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding or impression, such that it might cause significant harm to groups or individuals, or significantly undermine participation or trust in electoral or civic processes.

We don't allow content that contradicts or runs contrary to scientific or medical consensus and evidence-based best practices.

​We don’t allow content that primarily facilitates the promotion or sale of regulated goods and services such as alcohol, gambling, pharmaceuticals, unapproved supplements, tobacco, fireworks, weapons, or health and medical devices.

We don’t allow content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material. Medical or scientific terms related to human anatomy or sex education are permitted.

We don’t allow content that promotes terrorist or extremist acts, which includes recruitment, inciting violence, or the celebration of terrorist attacks.

We don’t allow violent or gory content that's primarily intended to be shocking, sensational, or gratuitous.

We don’t allow obscenities or profanities that are primarily intended to be shocking, sensational, or gratuitous.