Chapter 3 of 7 · Online and social media · 5 of 6
Removing a page from Google results in Ireland: the EU delisting form and what it does
Checked 9 October 2026, Defamation Act 2009 as amended.
Google's EU delisting form, under GDPR Articles 17 and 21, removes a result from EU searches of your name but not the page. How it works, the Data Protection Commission route and the host notice.
Written for the person who has been defamed. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland.
The page is still there, but what people see first is the search for your name. For many people that is the harm: a prospective employer, a client or a new acquaintance types your name and the first result is the post. This guide explains what Google's EU delisting form does, what it does not do, what happens if Google says no, and how it fits with the other routes.
This guide is written for the person the page is about.
What delisting is
Google offers a form for people in the EU who want results removed from searches of their name. Its basis is the GDPR: Article 17, the right to erasure, and Article 21, the right to object to processing. You identify the results, explain why they should not appear for your name, and prove who you are. Google decides.
When Google agrees, the result no longer appears for EU searches of your name. That is the whole of what it does.
What delisting is not
It is worth being precise, because the phrase "right to be forgotten" promises more than the form delivers.
- The page is not removed. It stays on the host's site, and anyone with the link can open it.
- Searches that do not use your name can still return the page. A search for the subject, the place or the event may still find it.
- The form covers EU searches. It says nothing about the page itself or about what readers outside the EU see.
- It is not a finding that the page is false, defamatory or unlawful. Google is deciding whether to list a result, not deciding your dispute.
- It gives you no correction, apology or damages.
If what you need is the page gone, the people who can do that are the host and the author, and the routes to them are a platform notice, a written request, a solicitor's letter and, at the end, a court order. The lead guide on false posts sets those out in order.
Before you apply: capture the result
Search your name and screenshot the results page, showing the query, the result and the date. Do the same for any variations of your name people might use. Then open the page and capture it in full, with the URL and the date. If the result is later delisted or the page edited, your screenshots show what people saw. The evidence kit covers this.
Filling in the form
The form asks for the exact URLs of the results, the search terms (your name) that return them, your explanation of why the result should be removed, and proof of identity. Keep the explanation factual. Say who you are, that the page is about you, why it should not appear for your name, and, where it applies, that the statement on the page is untrue and that you have asked the host to remove it. If you have sent a notice to the host, say so and give the date.
Keep a copy of what you submitted and of Google's reply. Both are useful if you go to the Data Protection Commission, and both help a solicitor see what has been tried.
If Google refuses: the Data Protection Commission
Ireland's data protection authority is the Data Protection Commission. If Google refuses to delist, or does not answer, you can complain to the Commission about the handling of your request. Its complaint process and timescales are set out on its own site and are not reproduced here. Keep your submission, Google's response and your screenshots together for that complaint.
How delisting sits beside a notice to the host
Delisting and a notice to the host do different jobs and most people do both.
| Route | Who decides | What it can do | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google EU delisting form (GDPR Articles 17 and 21) | Google, then the Data Protection Commission on complaint | Remove a result from EU searches of your name | Remove the page; stop other searches finding it; correct anything |
| Notice to the host (Digital Services Act, Article 16) | The hosting service; Coimisiún na Meán is the Digital Services Coordinator | Remove or restrict the content itself | Award damages or an apology; bind the author |
| Written request or solicitor's letter to the author | The author | Removal, correction, apology, an offer of amends | Compel anything |
| Court (Circuit Court up to €75,000, judge alone) | The judge | Damages, a declaratory order (s.28), a correction order (s.30), a prohibition order (s.33) | Act within days; recover costs if you lose |
Under Article 16 every hosting service must offer an electronic notice route. The notice says why the content is illegal, gives its exact location, includes your name and email, and contains a good-faith statement. The notice builder structures it. If the host removes the page, the search result will in time disappear with it; delisting is for the case where the page stays.
Delisting and the defamation clock
A delisting request is a data protection step. It is not a defamation claim and it does not pause the limitation period. Under the Statute of Limitations you have one year from the date the statement was first capable of being viewed to bring a defamation action, with a possible extension to two years where the interests of justice require it and the prejudice to you of refusing would significantly outweigh the prejudice to the defendant. If you spend months on delisting and a complaint to the Commission, the clock on the underlying statement keeps running. The time limit tool and the time limit guide cover the dates.
When the page is a newspaper article
If the page is an article in a member publication of the Press Council, there is a separate route. Write to the editor first, then to the Office of the Press Ombudsman within three months of publication. It is free, runs conciliation and then a decision, and cannot run alongside court proceedings. It can bring a correction or a published decision; it cannot award damages. The newspaper complaints guide covers it. Delisting can run alongside the Ombudsman route, since it is addressed to Google rather than to the publisher.
What the court can do that delisting cannot
If the statement on the page may be defamatory under s.6 of the Defamation Act 2009, a court can do what neither Google nor the host will: decide that the statement was false and defamatory (a declaratory order under s.28), order a correction with the same or similar prominence as the original (s.30, as amended in 2026), prohibit further publication (s.33, since 2026 only where the court finds the statement defamatory and no defence is likely to succeed), and award damages. The Circuit Court hears claims up to €75,000 with a judge alone and most claims settle inside that limit. Costs follow the event. The 2026 changes to these orders are tracked at the rule-change tracker, and the cost guide sets out what each stage is likely to cost, as planning assumptions.
Where this leaves you
Delisting makes the result disappear from EU searches of your name, and nothing more. Capture the search result and the page first, submit the form with a factual explanation, and go to the Data Protection Commission if Google refuses. Send the notice to the host at the same time, using the notice builder, because the page is the thing that matters. If the statement is false and the clock is running, talk to a solicitor about the author and the court, which are the only routes that can correct what was said.
Frequently asked questions
Does the right to be forgotten delete the page?
No. Google's EU delisting form removes a result from EU searches of your name. The page stays online, anyone with the link can open it, and it can still appear for searches that do not use your name. Removing the page itself is a matter for the host, through a notice or a court order.
What law is the Google delisting form based on?
Articles 17 and 21 of the GDPR: the right to erasure and the right to object to processing. The form asks you to identify the results, explain why they should be removed, and prove who you are. Google decides whether to delist.
What if Google refuses to delist?
You can complain to the Data Protection Commission, which is Ireland's data protection authority. The Commission's process and timescales are set out on its own site and are not reproduced here.
Does delisting stop the defamation clock?
No. A delisting request is a data protection step, not a defamation claim. The one-year limit under the Statute of Limitations runs from the date the statement was first capable of being viewed, whatever you do about search results.
Should I send a notice to the host as well?
Most people do both. A notice under Article 16 of the Digital Services Act asks the host to remove the content itself. Delisting deals with the search result. Neither gives you a correction, an apology or damages; those come from the author or the court.