Removing a picture from Google? Is it possible and how do you know if it qualifies for removal?
Now more than ever people are able to efficiently share media across a variety of platforms, which is often great for business and social connection, but there can also be risks. In recent years the trend of sharing photos through applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Telegram has increased, and dating apps such as Tinder often see photo sharing of a more explicit nature. Whilst many people view this as harmless sharing, there are huge risks with sharing photos online, and experiencing this may have severe consequences to your reputation and emotional wellbeing.
What are the risks of sharing photos online?
It may seem obvious, but the risk in sharing pictures with other people is that they may publish your photos elsewhere. If your photos are of an explicit nature, this may have devastating effects on you. At Internet Removals, we are frequently engaged by males and females who have shared explicit content with another person only to find that the explicit material has been disseminated across the web. Suddenly the client finds themselves facing hundreds or thousands of different sites where their images have been shared, and given the size of the web, it really may be an infinite number of places where the image now exists.
It’s not only explicit content though. A person may also take your non-explicit photographs and use them for other purposes. For instance, Internet Removals has been engaged by clients who have had their images used for the purpose of setting up fake dating profiles. The person using the photos is ‘cat fishing’ or pretending to be the person in the photos.
This is certainly not harmful, and in fact, there have been instances where people are horribly abused by a person catfishing. For example, one client was contacted out of the blue with a barrage of abuse. There were allegations that our client had stolen money and not followed through on an online sale, and there were threats of consequences. Our client had no idea who this person was, who they were referring to, and further, she wasn’t even within the same geographical location. It was clear her images had been stolen by someone else, who set up a fake profile and then used it to pretend to be our client and rip people off with fake sales.
When do Google Images or photos online qualify for removal?
Fortunately, Internet Removals has a proven process for quickly identifying leaked images and working on content removal. An image will qualify for content removal if it violates aspects of privacy and/or copyright law. Internet Removals often has rapid success with image removal, particularly when the content is explicit.
Prevention
Our advice is that you should never share photos online, especially if they are of a private or explicit nature. This is the greatest way to protect yourself from identity theft, fake accounts that catfish or the exposure of your private images. If you still enjoy sharing photos, then we advise. Never share explicit photos and never share photos with someone that you don’t know.
How can we help to remove images from Google or Internet?
Internet Removals can assist with content removal, particularly if you are the subject of images being leaked online. Further, Internet Removals are specialists in online reputation management, so if you or your business’s reputation have been affected by the content, we may be able to assist.
We can be contacted by either phoning 1300 039 196 or sending an email to [email protected].
Disclaimer: There is no obligation in contacting Internet Removals for advice relating to online defamatory content and our services with removal. Internet Removals is not providing any legal advice. If legal advice is recommended or required, Internet Removals can refer you to IRG Law Pty Ltd. You should not rely upon the contents of this newsletter for any litigation, decision to litigate or decision to publish material online.
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