Google to let European users request their information be removed from search results

LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg, May 30 (UPI) -- After a European Union court ruling earlier this month declared that people have the "right to be forgotten" and "irrelevant" data should be erased on request, Google will allow Europeans to ask for their personal information to be removed from online search results.

Google has set up an online request form to process the requests and says information will start to be removed from search results in mid-June.

"In implementing this decision, we will assess each individual request and attempt to balance the privacy rights of the individual with the public's right to know and distribute information," according to the form.

"When evaluating your request, we will look at whether the results include outdated information about you, as well as whether there's a public interest in the information -- for example, information about financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions, or public conduct of government officials."

The BBC reported that more than half of the requests sent to Google in the United Kingdom involved convicted criminals.

The information will only be removed from online searches made in Europe, so the deleted data will still be accessible from other areas.

Individuals who want information removed will be required to provide a link to the material, their country of origin, a reason for the request and a valid photo ID.