In critical conditions, the web is full of false narratives, defaming essays, or screenshots of videos that inflict harm. This type of content can damage businesses and people, especially if they are on the first page of Google’s search engine. This article will highlight valuable techniques for taking down harmful online content.
Remember that some of these methods could be more effective than others due to the local changes in laws and policies and search engine policies.
Community Guidelines Breached
Websites containing user-generated content, such as Facebook, Reddit, and Yelp, frequently have a set of clear-cut guidelines that stipulate what the users can generate and what not. Let’s apply some logic here: if the site’s policies are being pushed to their limits, the proper checks must be placed to determine the problem.
Try writing on Google “[site] + community guidelines,” this could lead to unrecognizable results.
Remove negative content that you think is not good; it can be flagged or reported for better checks and balances. According to history, moderators manage to undergo thorough reviews within a few days, and most complaints are contended.
Nonetheless, section 230a of the Communications Decency Act protects user-relevant content posted online by independent users, meaning that US-based websites hosting user-generated content have no legal reins.
These platforms are independent arbiters for the content that should remain and what should be removed. If your request was denied, you must find ways to minimize touch by responding to or censoring the offending article.
Doxxing and removal of Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Doxxing relates to false or defamatory information that includes the victim’s details, so the victim should reach out to Google to appeal for its removal from the search results.
Google lists sensitive information that can be removed:
-Social Security Number. -Bank account and credit card numbers.s -Handwritten signatures or ID documents. -Medical or financial records. -Addresses, phone numbers, and email. -Confidential login credentials.
To find out how to request Google to remove PII from search results, go through how to remove personally identifiable information from search results.
Copyright Infringement
The DMCA is a US law developed to respond to copyright infringement, such as unauthorized use of copyrighted materials.
Website owners have to respond to conversations about copyright violations due to the legal implications that would arise from not dealing with DMCA takedown requests.
If such an infringement occurs, you can take action in the following ways.
- You may send a DMCA notice to the site hosting the copyrighted content.
- If they do not comply, escalate the issue to a hosting service like GoDaddy.
- As a last resort, file a complaint with Google. Here, you would report copyright infringement, and, in turn, Google would hand over the offending website link.
Once Google approves the takedown notice, all traceable content gets permanently erased from the search index.
Using Mediation
Mediation is a powerful tool that allows you to reach out to the party who posted the malicious content and convince them to remove it.
An expert in reputation management can act as a third-party mediator and facilitate the removal by fostering communication between parties.
This process requires meticulous work to prevent serious issues from escalating since a faint whiff of overzealousness could worsen matters.
Reporting Removal Abuse
In case of abusive content practices, you must remove it from the Google search index, and if you are the victim, you can report the site to Google.
You can escalate the issue to Google if the website demands payment to remove harmful content.
Your request will only be valid provided these rules have been followed –
- The content is directly related to you or your business.
- The site claiming to be problematic is not a business review website.
- Certain websites offer removal services for a fee either to themselves or outside third parties.
- Reporting these cases to Google may lead to a delisting of the material infringing on the search results.
Handling Sexually explicit material
Google has extensive measures to safeguard against the publication of explicit photos or videos that have been shared without consent. If you are unfortunate to be affected by this content, you can fill a HAR to have such results removed from the search results.
Most websites that share such explicit materials advocate for consent and provide reporting systems to flag and remove such content.
Moreover, the increase of AI-enabled fake pornography, where a person’s face is superimposed onto another person without permission, has driven Google to devise a reporting method to provide and erase such covers more efficiently.
Claiming the Right to be Forgotten
This right was created by the European Union in 2014. The right is termed the ‘right to be forgotten.’ It has made it possible for EU citizens to request the deletion of information linked to his/her name or other identifiers deemed untrue, unnecessary, irrelevant to the subject matter, or even too much.
As a result of this ruling, there have been over a million removal requests from citizens of the EU who intend to delist content from Google Search.
Regrettably, such legal measures do not exist in the United States today, which makes it considerably more challenging to pursue a similar course there.
Asking A Court For An Order
As a last resort, legal and potential litigation avenues can be explored to pursue privacy violations and deleterious materials. One of these is applying for a court order to mark the content as libelous.
After the order has been obtained, the hosting website is legally bound to take down the content. When the website fails to comply with the terms of the order, Google is forced to remove the link in question to comply with the court order.
It should be noted that applying for a defamation suit, the first step in seeking a court order, can be prohibitive regarding legal representation and outside exposure.
Remove negative content Associated With Your Brand
In many scenarios, the proper technique makes deleting a negative image on the web possible. Your specific conditions will warrant the adoption of the approach.
When retracting harmful content is not an option for discussion and an online reputation is at stake, it is guaranteed that there is no need to worry. There are always alternatives available if direct action cannot be enforced, and the focus will be on limiting the content and structure of search engine results pages.
In general, dealing with potentially damaging information online is a challenge that requires planning for particular conditions and existing legal or information technology solutions. Whether removing harmful material or suppressing it through SEO for reputation repair, the key is to safeguard your brand’s integrity proactively. Wildnet Technologies, with its expertise in content marketing and digital solutions, is well-equipped to help you rebuild and maintain a strong online reputation.
Wildnet Technologies is a leading Digital Marketing Company that provides Content marketing services and has had the pleasure of nurturing 4100+ clients and generating more than USD 150 million in revenue over our 17-year-long journey.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best methods for removing harmful content from a webpage?
You could contact the webmaster and ask for it to be removed. If necessary, take legal action. You can promote content that improves a person’s image, which will lower the bad ones.
Is it possible to completely eliminate harmful content on Google’s search engine?
Content that is in breach of the policies can be removed. Otherwise, the more effective method is improving the SEO for approving content.
How can a person try to have lousy content removed?
The most direct way will be contacting the webmaster. Another is using Google’s content removal tools for anything outdated or detrimental.
Is suppressing the harmful content legal?
It is legal to use SEO techniques to try and highlight the content in a more positive light, which is a legitimate manner of improving one’s reputation.
How much time will it take to get harmful content removed or suppressed?
Removing the content can take days, while pushing the content lower through SEO can take weeks to months.
