The Right to be Forgotten and business failures
The Right to be Forgotten could be your legal lifeline to delist links from Google and remove damaging articles about your business failure and company closure. If damaging information about your past business affairs lingers online, you're not the only one. At Internet Erasure, we've helped many entrepreneurs salvage their reputations and make a fresh start. We do this through the Right to be Forgotten - scroll down to find out more.
The Right to be Forgotten and deleting articles from Google about business failures
The Right to be Forgotten, also known as the Right to Erasure, is part of the UK's GDPR legislation. It entitles you to request your personal data be deleted when it’s incorrect, outdated, incomplete and/or no longer relevant. This includes delisting articles from Google about your past business failure. If your request is successful, these links would no longer appear in search results when people look up your name online or perform an ‘adverse media check’. Be sure to read our article on the Right to be Forgotten and GDPR for more insight and context.
How to request Google removals using the Right to be Forgotten.
If you want to delete articles from Google using your Right to be Forgotten, you can apply directly. Our free guide takes you through the steps for doing so. Keep in mind though, you’ll need to provide a detailed explanation about why you feel the Right to Erasure applies. This should include how these articles are harming your reputation and proof they are no longer in the public interest. If you were the director of a closed company, you would need to prove it was a separate entity from you as a private individual. Evidence that you are now working in a different industry will likely be required, too.
Limitations with the Right to be Forgotten and business failures
It’s important to note that Right to be Forgotten is not absolute. This means your request to delete articles from Google about your business failure could be refused. Sadly, search engines often do reject requests, too. In 2022, Google refused 42% of Right to be Forgotten requests according to its transparency report. This is often due to your privacy rights clashing with the public’s right to know. Our success rates however are significantly higher than Google’s total averages - they have so far delisted more than 93% of URL’s for clients of our firm.
The Right to be Forgotten and Companies House
For the most part, the Right to be Forgotten does not apply to official records. This means information published on the Companies House website generally cannot be taken down, (nor will it be removed from Google or other search engines). There are some exceptions, though. These include official orders, such as a Person at Risk of Violence (PARV) order and a Threat to Life Notice (formerly Osman warning). Third-party content about your public records can also be taken down. Our article on the Right to be Forgotten when it applies and when it doesn’t explains more.
How Internet Erasure can help you
As experts in the Right to be Forgotten, our team knows how to avoid the pitfalls of trying to delete articles from Google. Over the years, our privacy lawyers have successfully removed 30,000+ links, articles and more. We’ve helped 700+ people rebuild their reputation. Don’t just take a word for it, either. We’re the only reputation management company with an excellent rating on Trustpilot based on countless 5-star reviews. If the shadow of your past business failure still hangs over you, contact us today.
