Brave Right to be Forgotten UK, practical guide to delisting name search results
Last reviewed: 8 September 2025
Quick answer
- Scope, UK and EU: you can ask Brave Search to delist results for your name where information is inaccurate, inadequate, no longer relevant or excessive, balanced against the public interest.
- How to contact Brave: email [email protected] with subject RTBF request. EU contact: [email protected].
- What to include: the exact name you searched, how the content relates to you, your name or the person you represent with their contact email, each URL on its own line, and your short reason based on the legal criteria.
- ID and timing: Brave may request ID. Do not send ID unless asked. Where approved, completion can take up to 30 days.
- Content at source: delisting removes the link in name searches. The page usually remains online unless the publisher changes or removes it.
1. What the law says, statute first
Article 17 of the UK GDPR, and the equivalent Article 17 of the EU GDPR, gives individuals the right to request erasure of personal data in defined circumstances. Search engine delisting is one way this right operates, subject to a public interest balance. Read the legal text:
The Court of Justice confirmed search engine responsibilities and that global delisting is not required. Read the judgments:
2. How Brave Search applies RTBF
Brave Search operates its own index and considers RTBF and Right to Object requests case by case. It reviews whether personal data in name searches is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive and weighs this against public interest and other criteria, including sensitivity of the data and impact on your life.
3. Make a Right to be Forgotten or Right to Object request
If a Brave Search result shows personal data about you and you want it removed from name searches, email [email protected] using the subject line RTBF request. In your message, confirm:
- The full name or names you searched on search.brave.com.
- How the specific content relates to you in one or two sentences.
- Your name if you are making the request for yourself, or the full name of the person you represent and their contact email address.
- The URL for each result you want delisted from Brave’s search index, one per line.
- Your reason stating that the URL contains personal data that is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive, or is otherwise negatively impacting your privacy.
Brave may ask you for proof of identity if necessary. Do not send identity documents unless Brave requests them.
Where Brave agrees to delist a search result, it can take up to 30 days for the request to complete.
EU contact option: Brave’s EU representative can be reached at [email protected].
4. ICO guidance you should know
The UK Information Commissioner explains when search results may be delisted and how to escalate refusals. Read more:
5. Prepare a strong request
- Exact URLs: list the full links you want delisted, one per line.
- Your search name: the exact name query that surfaces the URLs in the UK.
- Short reasons with evidence: explain inaccuracies, outdated context, disproportionate impact, or other Article 17 grounds and attach proof such as judgments or corrections.
- If the page changed or was removed: collect proof from the publisher, then ask Brave to re-fetch once updated.
6. What Brave considers when deciding
- Whether data in the result is inaccurate, inadequate, no longer relevant or excessive for a name search.
- Public interest, for example professional accountability, risks to consumers, official records or legal obligations.
- Whether you play a role in public life, and whether the data concerns health, criminal offences or minors.
- Whether the URLs and the name query genuinely relate to you, and whether your submission is complete and evidenced.
7. If you control the website
Add a robots meta noindex to pages you control, then request re-fetch so results refresh. This is separate from RTBF and may be faster when you manage the site.
8. Outcomes, what to expect
- Delisted for your name query in the UK and EU: affected results stop appearing for your name where delisting applies.
- Partial approvals: some URLs may be delisted while others remain. Strengthen evidence and resubmit if needed.
- Refusals: you can complain to the ICO, or resubmit with stronger evidence.
9. Step by step, my recommended flow
- List each URL and test the exact name query that surfaces it in the UK.
- Gather evidence and context, for example court outcomes, corrections or retractions.
- Write a concise request mapping your evidence to Article 17 criteria.
- Email [email protected] with subject RTBF request. If relevant, copy [email protected]. Keep a copy of your message and attachments.
- Track Brave’s reference, respond to follow ups, and record the decision.
- If results persist after source corrections, send proof and request re-fetch using Brave’s submit URL tool.
Need professional support
I coordinate casework at Internet Erasure. Our caseworkers handle UK and EU Right to be Forgotten submissions daily, including complex matters around criminal offence data and news reporting. If you want help drafting, evidence mapping or escalation, contact Internet Erasure Ltd.
General information only, not legal advice. RTBF is a UK and EU remedy, not a global removal.
