How to Remove Information About Yourself from the Internet in 2025

Information about a person can appear online without consent: in news, on forums, in reviews, in databases.

Personal data and rights protection laws provide grounds to demand removal or restriction of access to such information.

Legal grounds for removal

You can remove or limit distribution of information that:

• contains personal data processed without a legal basis
• damages honor and dignity
• is false or outdated
• is disseminated in violation of your rights

Each ground requires its own argumentation and evidence. There is no universal "delete" button.

Procedure: where to start

Collect links to all pages where the information appears. Capture screenshots.

Identify the operator: site owner, social media admin, aggregator.

Send a removal request. Specify what you want removed, why, and under which legal provisions.

Many platforms have forms for such requests. If there is no response or they refuse, you can turn to oversight bodies or courts.

Dealing with platforms

News sites, social networks, forums, maps, review aggregators — each has its own rules and procedures.

Pre-trial communication often helps: a formal request backed by legal references and evidence. If the administrator does not respond, the next step may be a complaint to the data protection authority or a lawsuit.

Removal from search results

Even after removal from the source, the link may remain in search results. Search engines provide procedures for removal or de-indexing under certain conditions.

Removal from results requires strong grounds: the information is deleted from the source, is defamatory, violates rights, or contains personal data. A request with justification must be submitted.