Right to Be Forgotten: Complete Guide for EU & UK
The right to be forgotten — formally the right to erasure — allows individuals to request that search engines like Google de-index links to pages containing their personal information, under certain conditions. This guide explains who qualifies, what you can request, and how the process works in practice under both EU GDPR and UK GDPR.
This right applies to individuals, not businesses. However, sole traders and business owners seeking to de-index personal information (as opposed to business information) may qualify in some circumstances.
Who Qualifies for the Right to Erasure?
Under GDPR Article 17, you can request erasure when:
- The personal data is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected
- You withdraw consent on which processing was based and there is no other legal ground for processing
- The data has been unlawfully processed
- The data is particularly sensitive (health, criminal records, sexual orientation) and its continued indexing is disproportionate
- The information relates to a person who was a minor when the data was originally published
What You Can Request
You can request that specific URLs be de-indexed from Google Search results. This does not remove the content from the source website — it only removes it from Google's search results. If the content is also indexed by Bing or other search engines, separate requests must be submitted to each.
"A successful right-to-erasure request doesn't delete the content — it makes it effectively invisible in search results, which achieves the same practical outcome for most people."
How to Apply to Google
Google has a dedicated online form for right-to-erasure requests under European privacy law. You will need to provide the specific URLs you want de-indexed, your name as it appears in the search results, an explanation of why the content meets the erasure criteria, and your country of residence (to confirm EU or UK GDPR applies).
Google's team reviews each request individually and makes a judgment on whether the public interest in the information outweighs the individual's erasure rights. Decisions can be appealed through national data protection authorities.
Not sure if you qualify?
We assess right-to-erasure cases and can advise on whether your situation meets the criteria before you invest time in an application.
Get a Free Assessment →UK vs EU: Key Differences Post-Brexit
Following Brexit, the UK GDPR operates separately from EU GDPR but contains substantially similar provisions including the right to erasure. UK residents submit requests through the same Google form but Google assesses them under UK GDPR. The ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) is the relevant regulatory body for UK appeals.