Powerful social media sites such as Google have very specific rules about what kind of content they will remove from their platforms – should they come across the content. This usually includes blatantly illegal activities such as “child sexual abuse imagery.” They will also remove pornographic or nude images of a person – especially if that person was unaware that the images were posted. Generally, most social media sites and platforms do not allow pornographic images and/or video.
Posting “pornographic” images of a person, without their expressed permission is against the law and is called “revenge porn.” The perpetrator will often post the offensive material for the expressed purposes of hurting the victim in some way, including blackmail. Third parties may see the images and use them as an excuse to further harm the victim. While “revenge porn” is not a term many are familiar with, it is widely used and many social media platforms are working with the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative to revmove any instances of revenge porn on their sites.
Google says, that according to its policies, it will automatically take down any images or content that could harm a person including the following:
· Nude or sexually explicit images that were uploaded or shared without consent
· Bank account numbers
· Credit card numbers
· Images of signatures
Before removing content, Google also will consider the following to ascertain if the content is potentially harmful:
· Is it confidential, or is it publicly available information?
· Can it be used to obtain more information about an individual that would result in financial harm or identity theft?
· Is it a personally identifiable nude or sexually explicit photo or video shared without consent?
We apply this policy on a case-by-case basis. If we believe that a removal request is being used to try and remove other, non-personal information from search results, we will deny the request.
Therefore, when reporting offensive or dangerous content such as revenge porn on Google, here are some steps you can take, as provided by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative:
Google Search Results
Before requesting that a link to an offending photo(s)/video(s) of you in search results be removed by Google, consider the following:
· It depicts nudity or is otherwise sexually explicit, and
· You certify that you appear in the content and have not previously consented to its distribution.
· Its inclusion in search results violates your copyright.
Also, Google suggests that you first contact the hosting website’s webmaster, if possible, to request removal of the content at the source.
To request removal of nonconsensual porn, click here.
You will then have to answer a few questions to load the removal request form which looks like this:
When prompted for what you would like to remove, select A picture of myself.
· On the form, you will need to provide the contact information, along with the URL(s) you would like removed, a URL of a Search results page linking to the requested URL(s), and one or more screenshots to help identify the content and verify it is still live when Google reviews the request.
Follow these steps to report abuse on a file or Google document:
· Open the file.
· Click on the Help menu.
· Select Report abuse/copyright.
· Select Nudity.
· Click Submit Abuse Report.
Blogger Visit this link and complete the information in the form provided to report that someone has posted nude or sexually explicit images of you without your consent. Then click Submit.
Reporting Abuse on other Google Products
On YouTube, Google+, and Google Play:
· Depending on what kind of device you have, you’ll see an icon that you can click
· Click it and click Report Abuse. If prompted, select the appropriate abuse type, usually “Nudity” or “Pornography.” More detailed instructions can be found at the following links:
YouTube: Flagging content OR Other reporting options Google+: Report spam, abuse, or inappropriate content Google Play: Report content issues or violations
Please note, even if Google deletes specific URLs from search result pages, the webpage hosting the content still exists. Google offers specific information on helping users understand how to contact a site’s webmaster in order to ask that content be removed from a website. This site also offers information on finding webmaster contact information via Whois. Removal of the content from the source is the only way to actually get the content removed from the web.