The Right to be Forgotten and missing persons

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The Right to be Forgotten is a legal mechanism that can remove links to your missing person case from the internet. If your reputation is being ruined each time someone searches your name online, you’re not alone. At Internet Erasure, we’ve helped countless ex-missing person move on from their past. How? Using the Right to be Forgotten. Read on to find out more.

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How can the Right to be Forgotten help people who were previously reported as missing in the UK?

The Right to be Forgotten is your legal entitlement to request organisations delete your personal data. It’s part of the UK’s GDPR legislation and is sometimes called the Right to Erasure. In practice, it means you can legally request to delete articles from Google about your missing person case. This means that the articles and photos of you won’t appear when people search your name. In some cases, you can also use the Right to be Forgotten to request websites remove these articles, too. Read more about GDPR and the Right to be Forgotten in the UK.

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How can I delete articles from Google using the Right to be Forgotten?

You can request to delete links from Google directly. Find out how with our handy free guide. Sadly, it’s not as easy as it sounds as you’ll need to provide concrete evidence that the information is out-of-date, incorrect, inadequate or disproportionately affecting your reputation. That’s because the Right to be Forgotten has to be balanced against the public’s right to know. This means it’s full of loopholes and quirks that many organisations exploit to avoid deleting your personal information.

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What information will I need to delete articles from Google using the Right to be Forgotten?

If you want to delete links from Google about your missing person case, you may need to provide:

• Proof of identity
• Proof the case is outdated, incorrect or incomplete (inadequate)
• Proof that the case is not in the public interest
• Explanation of how it damages your reputation
• Evidence for this, such as proof of lost income or opportunities

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Can my request for Right to be Forgotten removals be rejected?

Yes. In fact, in 2022, Google rejected 42% of link removal requests in the UK. You can view the statistics here on Google’s transparency report. 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. 

There are many reasons why search engines may refuse Right to be Forgotten requests. If yours is declined, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This may take a long time though, and you’re not guaranteed to achieve the result you’re after. Be sure to read our article on the Right to be Forgotten when it applies and when it doesn’t.

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How can Internet Erasure help me with the Right to be Forgotten?

As expert privacy lawyers, we know how to remove articles from Google (known as delisting) using the Right to Erasure. Over the years, we’ve helped 700+ people rebuild their reputation, move on and make a clean slate. In fact, 30,000+ articles have been removed thanks to our team. If your past as a missing person still damages your reputation, contact us today. You can read our reviews on Trustpilot, and here’s a highlight:

“The team at Erasure has been absolutely incredible…For nearly 20 years, I struggled to combat the influence of search engines with no success…After two decades of frustration, I am immensely grateful for what they have accomplished. I couldn't be happier. Finally, this cloud can stop hanging over me. I highly recommend anyone in need of help to reach out to Erasure and make use of their services.”