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Frequently asked questions
Online Information Removal FAQ
Straight answers about removing personal information, mugshots, court records, news articles, defamatory content, and leaked images from websites and search engines.
Getting started
Online information removal is the process of deleting, de-indexing, or reducing the visibility of personal or damaging information online. It includes removing content at the source website, removing results from search engines, opting out of data brokers, and suppressing results that cannot be removed.
Not everything. Removal depends on the website, its policies, the law, and the type of content. Data broker profiles, mugshots, private images, and content that breaks a site’s rules are often removable. Some news articles and posts on sites that refuse requests may only be suppressed.
Content removal deletes or edits the page on the original website. Search removal only stops a search engine from showing the page. A page removed from Google can still be visited directly and may appear in other search engines.
Yes. Send us the links or search terms and we will review them and explain your options, scope, and price at no cost and with no obligation.
Personal information & data brokers
A data broker is a company that collects personal information from public records, purchases, and other sources and sells or publishes it. People-search sites such as Whitepages, Spokeo, and BeenVerified are consumer-facing data brokers.
Use Google’s Results about you tool to request removal of results that show your home address, phone number, or email, then opt out of the websites that publish the information so it is removed at the source.
Data brokers regularly refresh their databases, so suppressed profiles can be recreated. Re-checking your name every few months, or using ongoing monitoring, catches new listings.
DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, is a California Privacy Protection Agency tool that lets California residents send one deletion request to all registered data brokers.
Mugshots, court records & news
No. Removing a mugshot from websites and search results does not seal or expunge the official record. Expungement is a separate court process.
Third-party court listing sites often remove or de-index cases on request, especially sealed or expunged ones. Google drops the result after the page changes. Official court records require a court order to seal.
Some publishers will unpublish, anonymize, or update older stories, particularly about minor offenses or cases that were dismissed. Decisions are at the publisher’s discretion.
Defamation, reviews & leaked content
Often, through the website’s content policies, a request to the publisher, a search engine request, or a court order. In the US, Section 230 means many websites are not legally required to remove user posts, so strategy matters.
Major platforms such as Google, Yelp, and Trustpilot remove reviews that violate their policies, including fake and conflict-of-interest reviews, when the violation is documented.
Report the content to each platform and host, send DMCA notices if you created the images, request removal from Google and Bing, and consider StopNCII.org to help block re-uploads. Never send the images in an inquiry.
Cost, timing & results
Pricing depends on the number of URLs, the websites involved, and the work required. You will receive a scope and price before any work starts.
Data broker opt-outs often process in days to weeks. Publisher and search engine requests vary from days to several weeks, and reputation repair typically takes months.
No provider controls every website or search engine. We explain what is realistic for each URL before you commit, and we verify results afterward.
No. We do not provide legal advice. Situations that need a court order or expungement should be reviewed by a licensed attorney.
Still have a question?
Send us the links you are worried about and we will explain your options.