Purpose

Use a law-based Google route when a specific legal ground applies, while keeping that submission separate from personal-content policy reporting.

Applicable policy and verification date

Google routes legal reports by product, region, and legal basis. Common bases include copyright, defamation, personal data/privacy, and court orders. Google says policy action is often global, while content found unlawful under local law is typically restricted in the country or region where it is illegal. Verified 2026-10-17. (Legal overview)

Audience

Individuals or authorized representatives who can identify a specific applicable legal basis.

Before you begin

Separate the operational question “does this meet Google’s private-information policy?” from “does applicable law require restriction or delisting?” The same URL can be reported through both routes, but the reports are separate.

Prerequisites

  • Google product identified.
  • Legal reason identified accurately.
  • Specific URL and challenged content identified.
  • Jurisdictional connection and authority documented where the form requires them.

Required inputs and evidence

Google’s general legal guidance asks for specific URLs, a precise explanation of the challenged content and reason, and adequate background. A filed legal request receives email confirmation and a reference number. If content appears in multiple Google products, Google directs separate notices for each product. (Report Content for Legal Reasons)

Procedure

  1. Open Report Content for Legal Reasons and select Create a request.
  2. Select the Google product where the result appears.
  3. Select the actual legal reason and country/region requested by the workflow.
  4. Enter each specific content URL rather than the website homepage.
  5. Identify the exact material and explain why the selected legal basis applies.
  6. Supply only the evidence requested by the legal form.
  7. Submit, save the reference number, and monitor email for clarification requests.
  8. File a separate policy request if the same content also fits Google’s personal-content policy.

Regional data-protection delisting

Google’s Right to be Forgotten overview states that European data-protection law permits individuals to request delisting of certain results for searches related to their name. The webform asks for specific URLs, the relationship to the content, reasons for delisting, the relevant name query, and a contact email. Google balances the individual’s rights with public interest. An approved result is delisted for name-related queries within the territorial scope Google describes; the page can remain available for other queries and outside that scope. (Right to be Forgotten overview)

Google’s European FAQ says a person who disagrees with a refusal may ask the local data-protection authority to review the decision. (European privacy requests FAQ)

Expected result

Google sends a confirmation/reference, may request clarification, and communicates its action. The scope depends on product, legal basis, and jurisdiction.

Troubleshooting and exceptions

  • Do not select a legal ground solely because a policy request was denied.
  • A legal restriction is not necessarily global and does not necessarily remove the source.
  • Corporations and other legal entities generally do not have the same name-query data-protection rights described for individuals in Google’s overview.

Official references

Policy review record

  • Last policy review: 2026-10-17
  • Documentation version: 1.0.0