Removing Damaging Internet Content

At SBI, we receive many inquiries from individuals and businesses asking if an article, photograph, blog post or a video can be deleted from the internet. It’s not an easy task, but it can be accomplished under the right circumstances.

In order to remove specific content from Google’s search results, it first has to be removed from the original site. Once a piece of content is removed, Google and other search engines will naturally filter it out of search results.

A wide range of options are available to attorneys to assist their clients in removing slanderous and unwanted content from the internet.

It’s been widely assumed over the past decade that businesses and individuals have little if any options if they’re being victimized by negative or damaging content on the Internet. No longer is this the case. Now there are experienced internet attorneys who have a full arsenal of legal tactics to completely remove unwanted content from the Internet and put a halt to online attacks.

Skilled internet attorneys, utilizing cost-effective legal methods, can assist you by removing, information from consumer complaint sites like Ripoffreport.com, reviews from rating websites Yelp.com or Amazon.com, unwanted material from smear and gossip sites thedirty.com, false and damaging reviews on rating websites, illegal and unwanted content from search engine indices, damaging and false information from blogs, message boards and other forums.

A federal law known as the Communications Decency Act or the “CDA,” 47 U.S.C. § 230, protects certain websites and allows them to operate as they do. Despite the broad protections afforded by the CDA, the following are several notable exceptions that provide for website liability and can be used to compel a website to remove content, even when the content has been provided by a third party.

If information posted on a website is defamatory, but the author is unable and the website is unwilling to voluntarily remove the information (like Ripoff Report), options are still available to effectuate its removal. One remedy that circumvents this problem is obtaining a court ordered removal from search engine indices.

For example: A damaged party must file a lawsuit against the individual who authored the information and subsequently obtain a valid court order declaring the content on the website defamatory and/or illegal. The court order is then presented to a search engine, like Google, which voluntarily removes websites containing slanderous content from its search results upon being presented with a valid court order.

Legal action can begin with “cease and desist” letters and other alternative steps, eventually culminating in a lawsuit that involves damages and punitive costs.

You may have more options than you realize! To discuss your specific Internet content removal issue, contact Sunset Boulevard Investigations at 888-406-0149 and we’ll provide you with the contact information for the attorney who specializes in all internet-related matters.

Disclaimer: This blog is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this blog should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. We strongly recommend that people contact an attorney for legal advice relative to this specific area of expertise in the law.