Transparency is a core value at Google, especially relating to the availability of information and content in our services. We are committed to being held accountable for and preventing abuse and fraud in our online content moderation practices. Sharing a copy of certain legal removal notices that we receive with the Lumen project for publication is one of the important ways to achieve these objectives. Through the Lumen project, internet users, content owners, and researchers are able to learn about content removal requests that internet platforms, such as Google, receive. Lumen’s goals are to “facilitate research about the different kinds of complaints and requests for removal—both legitimate and questionable—that are being sent to Internet publishers, search engines, and service providers, and to provide as much transparency as possible about the ‘ecology’ of such notices, in terms of who is sending them and why, and to what effect.”

We describe below the categories of information that we may share with Lumen when contained in legal notices that request the removal of content in many of our products and services, such as Search, Blogger, Local Reviews, and Groups. Based on the issue the request was submitted under as listed below, Google generally shares with Lumen:

In certain circumstances as further described below, Google might also share with Lumen the name of the person who made the request and/or documents provided as attachments in support of the request.

Google never shares with Lumen any information provided in the contact information fields, such as email address, in any content removal requests.

We don't share any information with Lumen about requests we receive to delist Search results on the basis of the “right to be forgotten” under data protection laws.

Google generally doesn't share any personal data with Lumen contained in content removal requests made on defamation grounds, including the name of the individual who made the request.

For removal requests related to allegedly defamatory content, Google generally shares with Lumen:

As an exception to the above, Google may also share with Lumen the name of the individual who made the removal request and the documents provided as attachments in support of that request for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” in circumstances where there's a high public interest in sharing this information following a case-by-case assessment. For example, if the content that's subject to the removal request relates to the requester’s prominent role in public life or if there are strong indications that the removal request appears to be fraudulent and that the name was submitted under an alias. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Google will inform the requester about the sharing of the personal data with Lumen following the case-by-case assessment. Under applicable data protection law, the requester has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

For content removal requests submitted under trademark laws, Google generally shares with Lumen:

Google shares the above information for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” Where the information contains personal data, we share such personal data for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Under applicable data protection law, the data subject has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

For content removal requests submitted under the DMCA or other copyright laws, Google generally shares with Lumen:

As an exception to the above, Google may also share with Lumen the name of the individual who made the removal request, the rights holder’s name, the explanation of the copyright infringing content, and the documents provided as attachments in support of that request for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” in circumstances where there's a high public interest in sharing this information following a case-by-case assessment. For example, if the content that's subject to the removal request relates to the requester’s prominent role in public life or if there are strong indications that the removal request appears to be fraudulent and that the name was submitted under an alias. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Google will inform the requester about the sharing of the personal data with Lumen following the case-by-case assessment. Under applicable data protection law, the requester has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

Google generally doesn't share any personal data with Lumen contained in content removal requests made on the basis of local laws, such as local laws that prohibit harmful online content, including the name of the individual who made the request.

For content removal requests related to local laws, Google generally shares with Lumen:

As an exception to the above, Google may also share with Lumen the name of the individual who made the removal request and documents provided as attachments in support of that request for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” in circumstances in which there is a high public interest in sharing this information following a case-by-case assessment. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Examples of this circumstance are, if the content that's subject to the removal request relates to the requester’s prominent role in public life, or if there are strong indications that the removal request appears to be fraudulent and that the name was submitted under an alias. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Google will inform the requester about the sharing of the personal data with Lumen following the case-by-case assessment. Under applicable data protection law, the requester has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

Google generally doesn't share any personal data with Lumen contained in content removal requests made on the basis of a court order, including the name of the individual making the request. A relevant court order here refers to one against a third party allegedly posting unlawful content.

For content removal requests on the basis of a court order, Google generally shares with Lumen:

As an exception to the above, Google may also share with Lumen the name of the individual who made the removal request and documents provided as attachments in support of that request, such as a non-confidential court order, for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” in circumstances in which there's a high public interest in sharing this information following a case-by-case assessment. Examples are if the content that is subject to the removal request relates to the requester’s prominent role in public life or if there are strong indications that the removal request appears to be fraudulent and that the name was submitted under an alias. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Google will inform the requester about the sharing of the personal data with Lumen following the case-by-case assessment. Under applicable data protection law, the requester has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

Requests from government agencies & entities, corporations & organization

For content removal requests from a government entity, corporation, or organization regardless of the issue type, Google generally share with Lumen:

Google doesn't share with Lumen the name of the individual representing the government entity, corporation, or organization as provided in the name field of the removal request form.

As an exception to the above, Google may also share with Lumen personal data contained in an explanation of the request as provided in the removal request form and documents provided as attachments in support of that request for the purposes explained in the section “Why do we share with Lumen?” in circumstances in which there's a high public interest in sharing this information following a case-by-case assessment. Examples are if the content that's subject to the removal request relates to the requester’s prominent role in public life or if there are strong indications that the removal request appears to be fraudulent and that the name was submitted under an alias. We share this information for the legitimate interests of Google and Lumen in educating the public, facilitating research, providing transparency about online legal removal requests and preventing fraud and abuse of our online content moderation processes. Google will inform the requester about the sharing of the personal data with Lumen following the case-by-case assessment. Under applicable data protection law, the requester has a right to object to this processing of their personal data by contacting us via email in response to the email they’ve received or submitting a legal request via g.co/legal.

When a Google Search results page is affected by a legal removal, a notice may appear at the bottom of that page. This notice links to the content removal request that Google shared with and is published at Lumen and contains the information as detailed above.

This does not apply to “right to be forgotten" Search delistings in accordance with data protection laws. Instead, when users search for a name, Google Search displays a generic notice: “some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe.” Note that we show this notice when a user searches for most names, not just for search results that have been affected by a removal and the notice doesn't link to Lumen.