A new feature just launched by Google allows you to request that images featuring children under 18 years of age not be displayed as search results. This is a feature announced last August along with other restrictions related to the presence on the Internet of content related to minors.
The request can be made by anyone interested in not having photos of a minor appear in Google searches
Through a request page provided by Google itself, interested parties can report the URL where images they wish to appear to be removed from search resultsThe search terms that lead to the images, as well as the name and age of the child, can also be specified. This procedure can be initiated not only by the child concerned but also by any person, who must inform in such a case what relationship he or she has with the child concerned.
Once the request has been made, it will be up to Google to determine whether the criteria necessary to remove the images in question from the search results have been met, although in the announcement of the start of the operation of this function it has been stated that in principle any image requested will be removed from the results, with the exception of the “cases of public and informative interest“The criterion will undoubtedly be controversial because of the interpretation that may be given to it depending on the circumstances or the territories.
Google has also warned that it will only proceed with the removal of such images in cases where the person appearing in the images is still under the age of majority. This means that someone who is, for example, 30 years old will not be able to request the removal of his or her photos from when he or she was 15 years old. Because this circumstance limits the scope of the measure in relation to harassment cases, it also makes it possible to verify in a simple way the current legal age of the petitioner.
Finally from Google is recalled that the only thing that is eliminated with this measure is the possibility that the images appear in searches, but in no case the images are removed from the Internet, just stop being indexed in the search engine.