What we remove · A specific news article
Remove a news article from Google
The hardest category, and the one where the argument matters more than the pressure. A publisher responds to what has changed since it published; it does not respond to being shouted at.
What this covers
Every copy of it, not just the first one.
One article and every copy of it: the syndicated pickups, the aggregator reprints, the AMP version and the archived snapshots.
The route that works
How this one actually comes down.
The approach to the editor sets out what has changed — charges dropped, a claim discontinued, a correction never carried, a subject who was never the story. Publishers rarely unpublish, but they will frequently anonymise, update or no-index, any of which removes the search result. In parallel, a UK or EU resident's Article 17 request asks Google to stop returning the page whatever the publisher decides. The two routes are run together because they fail for different reasons.
What we will not take money for
A current, accurate story in the public interest. There is no lawful route, and the pricing page says so before anyone asks.
The terms for this link
One published fee, whatever the platform. The removal window for news articles starts at 84 days and is fixed in the engagement letter at signing, so a later change to our defaults cannot alter your case.
- i.Assessed in writing within 48 working hours, saying whether it can go and by which route.
- ii.Removed means the URL no longer appears in Google for the agreed search terms, checked from the UK, the US and one EU location on two days at least seven days apart.
- iii.If it is still there when the window closes, the fee is refunded in full within five working days. No deduction for work performed.
- iv.Monitored monthly for twelve months. If it returns at the same URL, we act again at no charge.
Questions
About this one specifically.
Will the publisher know who asked?
An approach to an editor is made on the record and identifies who we act for. That is what makes it credible. Nothing else about your matter is disclosed, and the confidentiality undertaking in clause 8 covers everything else.
Could asking make it worse?
It is a real risk with a live story, and we will tell you if we think so rather than take the fee. It is close to nil with an old one, which is most of what we are asked about.
Confidential assessment · Reply within 48 hours
Ready? Start now.
Not ready? Ask first.
Most clients submit the link and pay in one sitting; assessment follows within 48 hours and the fee is refunded if the link cannot be removed. If you would rather ask first, the assessment is free and takes the same 48 hours.
Prefer to talk? +44 (0)20 3555 0147 (London) · +1 (415) 555-0147 (San Francisco)