Europeans can now request that their personal information be removed from Google online search results.
Earlier this month, a landmark European Union court ruling gave people the “right to be forgotten” and said that links to “irrelevant” and outdated data should be erased upon request.
Google pledged to balance “privacy rights of the individual with the public’s right to know and distribute information,” and launched a data deletion service 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“When evaluating your request, we will look at whether the results include outdated information about you, as well as whether there’s a public interest in the information,” says the U.S. search giant.
Google also vowed to evaluate “financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions, or public conduct of government officials” in making case-by-case decisions.
According to the BBC, more than half of the requests sent by British citizens involved convicted criminals attempting to hide reports of their past misdeeds.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com